


My Seventh Wish

by FeralCreature



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/F, F/M, Female Reader, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Mystery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:33:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26351227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeralCreature/pseuds/FeralCreature
Summary: Just as a small machine hopped away into shelter not too far from them, 9S picked up a ping on his scanner on something he'd never seen nor identified before. From the aerial screen that he was shown, the figure looked..humanoid. It gave off a heat signature and all signs of life seemed to be present; this sent his curiosity flying. The possibility of meeting a human got him excited, he had so many questions to ask them..!But none other than androids or machines had ever set foot here for several millennia. There was no way a human could have suddenly appeared on Earth..Is there?
Relationships: 2B (NieR: Automata)/Reader, 9S (NieR: Automata)/Reader, A2 (NieR: Automata)/Reader, Adam (NieR: Automata)/Reader, Devola (NieR: Automata)/Reader, Eve (NieR: Automata)/Reader, Popola (NieR: Automata)/Reader, Reader/Everyone
Comments: 157
Kudos: 259





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> This story is for a friend of mine.

_ The year was 5012. The day: July 4th. I remember it was normal that afternoon. Everything was relatively quiet. Had I known what would’ve transpired.. Had I known what it would’ve come to.. I would’ve stayed home.  _

_ But I didn’t.  _

_ And now I’m here and I can’t explain it.  _

**…**

**…**

**…**

A sliver of rain dropped from puffs of grey above, trickling down the slope of a neck of an unsuspecting woman. The woman stopped, looking up and scowling at the incoming downpour before ducking her head and picking up the pace. Before long, water splashed onto the backs of her legs as she traversed the emptying streets and she reminded herself to shake it off before going into her apartment. The louder the thunder sounded, the faster she ran, and before long she burst into a full blown sprint. 

Large rectangular buildings constructed from concrete shielded the water from an eastern angle and she was thankful as she stepped into the safety of the apartment’s entrance. Squeezing her hair until a puddle formed at her feet, she gave the mopping landlady a sheepish smile before bounding up the stairs to get to her destination. After seeing the polished number that marked her floor, she skidded to a stop in front of a metal door right next to the stairwell. Retrieving the key around her neck, she unlocked it and walked in. 

“I’m home!” she announced and was met with brief silence. 

“Welcome back,” a pleasant voice called from the kitchen. There was the scent of something cooking in the air. Probably vegetables.  _ Again. _ Though she knew she shouldn’t complain. Rations were hard to come by these days, and the good stuff was reserved mostly for the people in higher standing within their nation. Quality meat was a luxury that many of the lower class could not afford- she was not privy to this rule. 

A woman, nondescript and rather plain, poked her head out from the doorway. She smiled and waved. The soup ladle in her hand had half a leaf of some green vegetable sticking to the handle; waving carelessly in the motions, as if that too was welcoming her home. “Any luck finding a job?” 

“No..” the rain-soaked woman admitted with some guilt. “I wanted to ask your opinion on something before I do.”

“Hm?”

“Should I work at the factory? Or the city?” At the mention of the factory, she saw her mother tense up. “..Maybe I can get a programmer job in the city? It doesn’t pay that much, but at least it’s less risky.”

“Yes, dear. That should be the better option.” 

“Alright,” the girl began slipping on her shoes again. “If it’s the programmer route, I need to go to the city now. The job listing I saw stated they were available for walk-ins today.” 

Her mom inched toward her, the perpetual look of stoicism on her face seemed to be marred with concern. In all her life, the woman remembered her mom as always maintaining a rather emotionless persona. She always joked with her that she might as well be a robot- a sentiment the latter didn’t find the least bit funny. 

But today was different. She saw something in her mom’s face that looked a bit like agitation, which was rare to say the least and so it made her feel anxious. 

“I’ll be back for dinner,” she hopped up and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t worry. Fingers crossed I get lucky!” To punctuate her sentence, she lifted up her hand to showcase her crossed index and thumb to which her mom returned the gesture. 

Before she could close the front door, a foot stuck out in between to stop it. “Wait,” her mom pushed the door back to peek at her. “I..I love you.”

The young lady snorted. “I’m not going away forever, just for an hour or two.” Without mimicking the words back, she waved at her as she hopped down the stairs, “Just leave the soup out on the stove for me!” 

*******

“Building 4, block C, entrance number 2.. Geez.” She had already spent nearly forty-five minutes traversing traffic to get here. It would’ve been faster had she had another mode of transportation besides her own two feet, but who could afford a car these days? Just as dreams of owning a vehicle struck her, one such automobile sped past her and right over a puddle of rainwater; effectively soaking her in the rank, muddy liquid. Groaning in disgust, she wrung out the grey water back where it belonged and held up the job application which now went limp in her fingers. “...Great.”

The chances of her receiving a job now went from 50% to a solid 10%. Maybe she could go back home with what was left of her dignity. Either that or suck it up and go ahead and show up at her future employer’s building soaking in drainage water.

Shaking her head, she let out a hefty sigh. Home it was. 

Staring at that grey puddle on the side of the road, she frowned when she began seeing red reflected in the middle. It was mostly bright, with rings of orange and yellow around it. Then the puddle shifted and formed ripples, indicative of something huge coming their way. 

“Oh god, what the hell is that thing?!” Someone shouted and she looked towards the direction of the noise before something louder took its place. The people around her began to scream and point upwards; following their fingers, she too saw what it was they began fearing. 

Amongst the grey, nimbus formations in the sky, something colossal poked out. Around it was the same ring she saw in the puddle, of violent hues of red, oranges, and yellows. It looked like an airborne vehicle of some sort, but larger, and exponentially more vast than anything their military can cook up. The unidentified ship came to three points, with the middle being smoothed over with gleaming metal; like a large arrow about to shoot their way. 

Whatever it was, it wasn’t any form of technology recognized here on Earth. Whatever it was, it was alien. 

Something shifted on the sides. Massive cylindrical objects that pointed in their direction with malignant intent. The red energy that hummed around the ship focused on those objects before a large sphere gathered at the head of the ship. Before long, that beam came flying towards them.

What came next was the indubious destruction of everything around her. 

*******

The eyes that opened expected to see fire and ash and brimstone- but instead it received something else entirely. She blinked as the environment seemed bright, far too bright. When her pupils became adjusted to the new setting, she took in the scenery and found that it didn’t seem to match the one she thought she would’ve seen. 

Yes, the buildings were crumbling and the cars were broken down and littered the streets as their humans abandoned them in the ensuing panic. But instead of black scorch marks or molten metal littering where they shouldn’t be, there was a serene forest in their place. Where the buildings cracked, vines made up the difference. Green streaked through the pale grey as they wrapped up to support what was once there. Trees sprouted from inside some of them, their branches curling up through the windows just to ascend to the floor above. Large animals she had only seen in picture books grazed on the tall blades of grass that sprouted from the roads, their heads turned her way then back to their feeding, obviously uninterested in her confused anxiety. 

In what should have been a wasteland of destruction was instead a serene, lush forest.

Getting up, she felt a bit shaky at the knees and tried to balance herself like a child who first learned to take their steps. One foot after the other, she leaned against a large object for support. When her hands felt the rough surface, she looked down to see a coating of reddish-brown dust mark the prominent points of her palms. Rust. Her eyes followed the rest of the object to find herself looking at a car, or what remained as only the skeleton sat in front of her with everything else gone. 

She took a couple steps back. 

How long had she been out? Did the blast do this to her? 

_ No _ . 

Urging herself to get a grip, she had to focus on grounding herself into reality again. The blast happened so recently, and yet the city was in this state? She looked at the coating on her hand.  _ Rust could form on any mass of metal in as short as three days. _ Taking a look at the car closer, she frowned.  _ Oxidation could occur in a short matter of time. But complete corrosion?... That takes years. _

“So, how long..have I been out?” She asked aloud with only the whine of the nearby moose to answer her back. 

This was nothing like the hellfire she expected. 

What in the world was going on? 

_ First thing’s first. _ She made sure she knew how to walk again before continuing further into the ruined city.  _ Find other humans.  _

*******

[DECRYPTING]

[DECRYPTING]

…

[ACCESS GRANTED]

“Hm..? Ah, finally!” A boy who looked like he was around the age of fifteen looked in the direction of the beeping. The sun cast a soft shade on his black clothes, making the color a little softer to compliment his shocking white hair and pale skin. Though he wore a blindfold over his eyes, his head turned to look up with such clear direction that it was obvious to see that the cloth didn’t hinder him at all. “2B, look.”

Another white haired person turned towards him. A young woman with her eyes covered with the same blindfold as he. This one wore a black dress that flared out into a lovely bell-shape around her knees, completing the outfit with a pair of black heels and white tights that hugged her toned figure closely. She didn’t answer, instead, she waited for the boy to continue.

“Pod,” the boy motioned to the floating machine by his head. “Show 2B what you showed me.” The pod immediately showed a hologram that displayed a scaled topographic map of the ruined city. Though it was something 2B saw all the time, what she hadn’t seen before was the small red dot flashing atop the graph. Question marks surrounded said dot as the pod desperately attempted to identify what it was, but to no avail. 

“That transmission we got earlier, I tracked it down and tried to get one of our operators to see what it was. But nothing popped up except that blurry figure. Weird, huh?” 

“9S..” The young woman dubbed 2B had a firm line on her lips. “We shouldn’t be wasting our time with this. Leave that mission to the other scanner types.”

“But I  _ am _ a scanner type,” 9S tapped a finger to his noggin and smiled. “That’s why I say we check it out. Plus, the commander will just send us two back to investigate what it is later.”

“..Fine.” 

“Wait,” 9S followed the dot on the hologram. “Maybe we don’t have to find it. It looks like it’s coming straight for us.”

His prognosis was soon proved correct; as no longer than two minutes later, they saw the red dot approach them closer and closer until the two androids looked up to see a young woman who was just as bewildered to see them as they did her. 

“Thank god,” she sighed. “I need help.” A flash of light blinded her temporarily and she found herself looking down the edge of a blade. “What the hell?!”

“2B,” the shorter android tried to intervene, but was cut short by a scathing, clothed glare from the combat specialist. 

2B returned her stare to the young woman. “Unit, identify yourself.” 

“Unit?” She frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Regardless of whatever crime it was that she did or didn’t commit, she had her hands raised in hopes this white-haired woman wouldn’t cut her down. “I’m not a unit.”

“You’re clearly not YoRHa,” 2B continued. “Are you with the resistance?”

“Resistance?” The confusion was just intoxicating at this point. “I don’t even know what we’re resisting against!”

Then another question came. “Are you a machine?”

“No!” The girl yelled. “I’m a human, a goddamn human! Isn’t that what you are too?!”

“...There’s only one way to make sure,” the android held her blade by her side and she dreaded what was to come. “Machines have recently been able to create humanoid forms. We can’t risk that chance with you.”

“Wait, 2B! I don’t think she’s like Adam or Eve!”

But it was too late. The young woman saw a line run across the front of her shirt. It was followed up with a dull, thudding pain and something warm that seeped from her skin. The android was so proficient with her sword that she barely felt the pain, not before she fell to her knees and collapsed onto the ground. Her attacker approached her, kneeling down and bringing her shirt up to inspect the wound. With her gloved hand, she pulled apart the skin further to see what the contents within were. Only after she saw pure sinews and a deeper layers of dermis did she adopt a manner that was more gentle. 

“Pod,” she turned to the floating device near her head. “Send word to the Bunker. We’ve found a human.”

“I..told you,” the human coughed, her eyes closing slowly. The adrenaline that kept her blood pumping was riding down into a low and she felt her consciousness slipping. Though in the beginnings of succumbing to her shock, she felt her body being lifted with such ease and strength into the dainty woman’s arms. 

*******

“Really. You’re just so reckless! You new YoRHa types are always attack first, ask questions later, aren’t you?”

“... It was a mistake on my part. Apologies.”

“It’s not  _ me _ you have to apologize to. It’s her when she wakes up. You’re lucky human women have such fatty tissues on their breasts, otherwise you would’ve cut up her lungs!”

“At least she’s alive still, right, 2B? Can you imagine the look on the commander’s face when she finds out you killed a human on accident?”

“...”

“9S.. You’re not helping.”

“Oopsies.”

A groan made all conversation cease as the woman blinked and rolled on her side. An action she immediately regretted as all pain allocated to the lateral side of her chest, eliciting another pained grunt from her. Bright light filtered in through translucent sheets that canvased over her like wings, it only irritated her further as the light intensified the pulsating headache she nursed. When she tried sitting up, a hand ghosted over the arch of her back and helped her up. 

“Easy now,” a soft voice cooed. “Slowly- or else you’ll ruin your stitches.”

“Where am I?” Her own voice clawed its way out of her dry throat and sounded almost foreign. 

“You’re in the resistance camp,” that soft voice responded. “2B and 9S took you here after you were injured, remember?” 

“2..B..?” The name sounded familiar and she repeated it over and over again until it surfaced within perfect clarity. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide with alert and she surveyed her surroundings, only stopping when she saw her attacker standing no more than five feet from her. She threw off the sheets and hopped off the bed, backing away as she clutched her chest. “You..! Why the hell would you attack me?!”

2B was the model vision of stoicism. “I’m sorry.” Even her apology didn’t sound sincere, making the offended party all the more irritated. 

“Wait a second, it’s not her fault. She didn’t mean it,” a shorter boy stepped from behind her and she frowned at his faulty defense. 

“‘Didn’t mean it’? What part of our encounter didn’t you understand?”

“Listen to me,” he had his hands raised up as if he was cornering a frightened and wounded animal. Which, at this point, she was nothing more than that. “You’re human, right? Had we known that earlier, we wouldn’t have attacked you so candidly. It was just a precaution. You see, we thought you were a machine.”

There was that accusatory word again. ‘Machine’. “How am I in any way a machine? I’m human, aren’t you?” The more she said the word ‘human’, the more it tasted funny in her mouth. 

“Calm down so we can explain.” That soft voice that urged her awake manifested into another young woman. This one had bright red hair with a white flower tucked behind her right ear. Between the one with red hair and the one with white hair- one thing she noticed right away was the fact that both of them were stunningly beautiful. Like models fresh off the catwalk. 

They were perfect. Too perfect. 

She shook her head and looked all around her. The mini camp they had set up was near some buildings that were toppled over, their edges weathered down until all was left was a smooth, rounded point. Metal was one thing, but stone? That took a much longer time to get it at this point. It takes  _ centuries  _ just to get it polished like that. 

“What year was it?” She asked no one in particular as the answer she hypothesized might be unfavorable. 

The white haired android answered, the one with the sword on her back. “11945 AD. All humans have left Earth to take shelter on the moon. The rest of the world has become uninhabitable for others of your kind, that makes you the only human here on the planet.”

“That’s part of the reason we weren’t sure what you were,” added 9S. “We androids-” he gestured to him, 2B, and the redhead, “-are here taking the fight to the machines, so that you humans can live peacefully again.”

With their answers came another wave of lightheadedness and chest-tightening nausea. A pinch would be just the thing she would do right now to prove all of this was real.. Though she supposed that cut from the sword earlier would have sufficed. 

*******

“Hello,” came Popola’s pleasant voice. Her bright red hair made the woman squint at first as it was intense in contrast to the darkness of her newly appointed room. They moved her inside to one of the intact bedrooms, to avoid curious onlookers from the rest of the camp. Shortly after they told her the date, she sat there staring blankly at the ground and didn’t even acknowledge the group that gathered out of the makeshift door of the ‘clinic’. “I’m here to give you this.”

A recorder was handed to her and she frowned. “Why?”

“You should document the events you remembered up until you arrived,” Popola sat next to her. “The human brain isn’t as capable when it comes to memory retention as us androids, you see. So this should be beneficial for you.”

The fact that her caretaker was not human didn’t come as much of a shock to her than her apparent jump in time. Back even in 5012, civilization was making advances in technology that were unparalleled than that of their predecessors. Creations of humanoid machines were reaching the cusp of a breakthrough and there were even some rumors that the government were running tests on combat droids that could fight their wars for them. She supposed this was the fruit of their labors, 7000 years later in the making. 

“Uh.. sure,” she held it up to her lips and took a deep breath. The feeling of anxiety heightened when she noticed Popola staring at her earnestly. “I- can I have some privacy?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” the android seemed flustered. Or at least imitating it. “My apologies, I’ll go. Tell me when you’re done, alright? 2B made a nasty cut on you, so I’ll need to check on your stitches.” When the door shut, she relaxed and held the recorder to her lips again. It seemed like an older model compared to what she had seen other resistance camp members using; but it was durable and that was all that mattered. Pencil and paper were rare to come by these days, so maybe it was a good thing that her memories could be recorded digitally. 

After a deep breath, she recounted the last day she remembered and pressed record. 

“The year was 5012. The day: July 4th. I remember it was normal that afternoon. Everything was relatively quiet. Had I known what would’ve transpired.. Had I known what it would’ve come to.. I would’ve stayed home.”

Pause.

“But I didn’t.”

Another pause.

“And now I’m here and I can’t explain it.”


	2. II

Up in space, there was a large ship floating amongst the inky black. Though this one wasn’t set to attack or travel anytime soon, rather, it was content with hovering just above the Earth’s outer orbit to watch the planet in quiet observation. Within said ship were countless androids, each of them carrying on tasks and running maintenance to ensure that their vessel remained where it was. 

Most of the androids were female. All of them with a slender build and dressed mostly in black clothes that were far too beautiful to be used in battle, their wardrobes seemed most suited to fit in a masquerade ball than the war-ravaged plains they fought upon. No one questioned why the majority of them were outfitted in black, though some theorized that they were mourning the loss of their precious humans- who they haven’t seen in millenia. Only by the short missives they received from the moon, the place their humans now occupied, did they have some semblance of hope that one day they could complete their mission and conquer Earth for their creators. 

This is why YoRHa was created. For the glory of mankind. 

“2B, 9S. Report.” A tall woman with long locks of silken, golden hair looked at them. Her stance was proud with a white dress hanging tightly off her squared shoulders and coming down to hug her waistline. The rest of her skirt separated into two at her left upper thigh and fell around her ankles, giving her an otherwise unearthly glow with how the white fabric seemed to become luminescent on her already pale skin. 

“Commander,” 2B saluted her with practiced motions while 9S did the same, albeit his was more relaxed. “We’ve found something while scouting the city ruins.” 

“More like ‘someone’,” 9S said under his breath. 

“Oh?” Commander White raised her brow and folded her arms together with the riding crop she carried tucked just beneath where her limbs met. “Operator 6O tells me it was of great importance.”

“It is,” 2B continued. “Commander. We found a human wandering the ruins.”

9S always thought that this hardass of a commander would never show any type of emotional deviancy. Until now. 

Their commander’s face showed something that displayed the slightest hint of stupefaction. Like something happened that she hadn’t planned. 

“Uh, commander?” 9S’ frowned when she didn’t respond for a while. “What do you propose we do? We left her in the Resistance camp.”

Commander White’s calm demeanor returned. “How is her current status?”

“I made the mistake of attacking her,” 2B admitted. “It was under the assumption that she was another humanoid machine- like Adam and Eve. But those twin androids, Devola and Popola, are taking care of her as we speak.”

“I see. At least she is alive and well. A human would not be able to stand against a combat droid’s prowess.” Her white riding crop tapped against the length of her thigh. “I would ask that you bring this human to the Bunker. But our oxygen levels are insufficient for sustaining one of her kind, so I’m leaving you in charge of protecting them, 2B, until we find someplace safe and suitable.”

2B bowed her head, crossing her hand over her chest. “Yes, commander.” 

The commander returned the gesture. “Glory to mankind.” 

“Glory to mankind.”

*******

“Knock knock.” The door opened to reveal another android. This one had the same luscious red hair as Popola- in fact, this one shared an alarming amount of similarities with her initial caretaker. “Brought some food for the human on Anemone’s orders.”

Popola, who was sitting beside her, beamed at the other. “This is my twin,” she gestured to her. “Devola.” 

Perhaps the only thing that these twins had that distinguished each other was the way they styled their hair. Whilst Popola had hers straight and combed out with a white flower tucked behind her right ear; Devola had her hairs a bit spiky in texture with that same white flower tucked behind her left ear. She wasn’t complaining, she had a feeling that she wouldn’t want to make the mistake of accidentally calling them by the wrong name. 

“Here,” Devola pulled up another chair by the bed and sat it next to her sister. The bowl of soup she handed was..interesting, to say the least. It was grey in color and had brown chunks of meat bobbing out of it like buoys. When the androids saw how she blinked at the food item, Devola scowled, “We didn’t know what to make, let alone cook. We androids don’t exactly need to eat, ya know.” 

“No, it’s fine,” she bit the bullet and tilted the soup bowl’s contents into her mouth. It was about as bad as she could expect. Salty. So salty that she felt like she got punched in the mouth and was left to bleed out in the concrete. “It’s-,” she couldn’t hide the gag when she swallowed, “-great.”

To her surprise, Popola hid her laugh behind her hand. “You say that- but we can see your reactions, you know.” 

Devola’s scowl deepened. “Was it the seasoning? I told them they were putting too much.” She held her hand out to take the bowl back, “I can make you another batch. Though that means I have to ask the hunters for more meat..”

“No, it’s fine,” she refused to hand it over. “I’ll eat it, thank you. I really appreciate you two taking care of me.” 

Devola blinked at her, long fluttery lashes batting over her bright, green eyes. “Don’t be stupid,” she finally said, “I’ll make you a better batch.” Snatching the bowl from her, the android walked out of the room and left the two of them alone again. 

“She isn’t mad,” Popola leaned forward, seemingly knowing what was running through the human’s head. “She just wants to make sure you’re well taken care of. Behind that attitude of hers, she cares a lot.”

“Good to know,” she mumbled. “Say, you sure you’re okay hanging out with me like this? I know you need to make sure my stitches don't suddenly burst, but don’t you have better things to do?”

Popola shook her head. “Watching over humans.. It’s a part of what I- we, were originally programmed to do. I want to make sure I fulfill the role to the best of my ability. This time.”

“..What do you mean by ‘this time’?” The door swung open again before Popola could answer and they both looked up to see a figure in black take up space in between the frame. 

2B strode in with 9S in tow. The former looking directly at the human. “How is your wound?” she asked. 

“Better now,” Popola answered for her. 

“Let me see.”

“Is that really such a good idea?” the redhead’s eyes flitted to 9S and 2B understood. Privacy was a concept lost on androids. Their whole existence was constantly shared and uploaded into databases for analysis anyways. 

“9S, wait outside,” she instructed the scanner. 

“Huh? Why?” 9S saw Popola’s hand grasp the ends of the human’s shirt and he nodded in understanding. “Ah. Gotcha. Alright, I’ll be going now.”

When the door shut, she felt nervous. Undressing in front of Popola was fine, but in front of this combat droid? Especially the one who placed her in this precarious situation in the first place? “Do you mind putting your sword away?” she asked and to her surprise, the android obliged. The two white swords that hovered over her back disappeared in clusters of light and suddenly, 2B appeared a lot more approachable. 

Walking over as Popola pulled the shirt over her chest, she felt bashful when she could feel eyes burning at her through that black fabric that concealed her eyes. Even if she couldn’t see where her pupils were pointed, she felt them roaming around every notch of the shallow stitches that went across her skin. When she was satisfied, she nodded and Popola let her shirt fall back down. 

“I’m sorry,” 2B muttered. “It wasn’t my intention of harming you.”

“It’s fine.” _I guess_. “You wouldn’t have known. And you seem like the type of person to not attack someone unless you had a good reason.” 

“I did.” And that was the end of the explanation. Something told her that conversation wasn’t something 2B was proficient in. 

“You told me that humans have a colony on the moon, correct? If so, can’t I just go there too?” 

“That would be ideal,” said 2B. “But we would have to wait until the next shipment to go to the moon colony.”

“When would that be?”

“Next month.”

“A month?!” 

“Fuel isn’t something readily available,” Popola explained. “They have to fill up a rocket to the brim every time they send supplies to the colony.” 

“I get that,” she rubbed her fingers together. “So..what do I do till then?” 

“Survive,” 2B stated bluntly and earned a warning glare from Popola. “I’m in charge of protecting you, so cooperate with me.”

“Not like I have a choice..” 

“W-Wait! Don’t go in!” Just outside the door, 9S' voice was filled with panic. “They’re doing something in there!”

“Get out of my way, 9S!” That was Devola’s voice. “I have to feed the human!” The door opened and Devola barged in with 9S’ mouth twisted in an unhappy pout. In her hand was another bowl of soup, this one had a more acceptable color with steam rising off of it. “Here. This is better, I think.”

The bowl was deliciously warm in her hand. On the surface was even bits of green floating around, spices that weren’t present before and mingled with the savory scent of the thick, meaty chunks. Taking a sip of the broth earned a happy set of tastebuds and she smiled up at the android. “It’s delicious. Thank you.” This time she meant it and it seemed to make Devola lighten up in return. 

“Hey, I know you’re still resting- but is there any way you can tell us your name?” 9S asked her. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want us referring to you as ‘human’, right?”

Setting the bowl down in her lap, she glanced at Popola before moving on to them. Quietly she told them her name and stopped herself once the last syllable left her lips. 

9S extended a hand out to her, something that the twins and 2B found odd. It looked like he was going to give her something, though his hands were empty. “Nice to meet you! This is 2B,” he pointed to his partner in black. “And my name is 9S, though my friends call me Nines.”

She met him halfway, greeting him the way that humans did before. “That reminds me of something,” when she took her hand back, her fingers ghosted over the skin on her shoulder. The mention of his numerical name sparked up a memory that she couldn’t believe she forgot about for even a moment. Of course, maybe it was the initial shock of traveling forth in time that did just that. “My mom used to call me something- a nickname, like yours.”

“What is it?”

Shifting her sleeve down over her shoulder, she showcased the birthmark on her skin, or so her mom told her it was. It was slightly lighter than her flesh tone and no bigger than the size of her palm, with its ridges appearing to be almost smoothed out and straight. There were always doubts in her mind of it being a birthmark as it was too odd to be considered natural; her mom always joked that it was a gift from god or something like that, a sentiment she always rolled her eyes at. Nevertheless, she carried it. The birthmark on her skin that was shaped to an almost perfect formation of a number value.

9S leaned forward. “Is that a seven?”

“Yeah,” she moved it so that all could see. “Had it ever since I can remember. That’s why my mom called me her ‘lucky seven’ or just ‘Seven’.”

“Really? It seems odd for humans to call each other like that,” Popola stared at the birthmark, intrigued at such formations on her skin. 

“Well it’s a nickname,” she explained. “Plus the birthmark and everything helped solidify that. Also, humans just sometimes consider seven to be a lucky number.”

“That’s great,” 9S grinned. “You can call me Nines, I’ll call you Seven!”

“That'd be cool. Are you okay with that?”

"Yeah, I like it when people call me Nines," at this, he tossed a glance at 2B that went unnoticed. 

2B was silent, taking in the number and thinking for a while before speaking. “That’ll be your covert name. If we refer to you as ‘Seven’, there won’t be any need to encrypt our messages to the Bunker.”

“Even if the machines somehow got ahold of your messages, don’t you think it’s a bad idea that they assume she’s another YoRHa unit or even part of the Resistance?” Devola had a hand on her hip, her lips turned into a scowl pointed at 2B. “They’ll attack her on sight, and they won’t hold back like you did.”

“It’s better that they assume she’s an android than a human,” 2B fired back with cold precision. “If the machines found out there was a human on Earth, they would no doubt make her death a miserable one.. Or worse.”

The very thought of being torn to pieces sent a chill up the spine of the only human in the room. What could’ve been worse than death? She had never even seen these machines they spoke about yet. The way 2B and the other Resistance members talked about them though, as if they were the most vile and evil things on the planet, made her conjure up horrific images. Her imagination went wild and her thoughts were filled with metal creatures with corroded limbs, red, glowing eyes, and razors the size of tree limbs hanging off their arms. It put her into perspective how she was much safer sticking with the ones who looked like her, rather than fending for herself in a machine-infested land. 

2B took her silence for compliance. “It’s settled then. You’re under the protection of YoRHa units until we reunite you with others of your kind.” 

Really, what other choice did she have but to comply?

*******

Sitting on an overpass that used to support many of humanity’s traffic, was a long table comprised of dark oak with only two chairs. Three silver candelabras sat in a perfect row along the midline, each of them trailing off to the ends that held two humanoid creatures that shared an appearance. 

“Why must we read all of these books, brother?” The one on the left end shifted his book down, an incredibly bored look on his face as his eyes focused in and out from the words to the one sitting on the other side. His silver hair was cropped short with messy strands reaching out in all directions; the only piece of clothing he had covering his body were a pair of black pants and gloves. Whenever he moved to turn the flimsy paper of the book, his arms flexed and showcased the black markings he had on his left arm- similar to that of a tattooed sleeve. 

“Knowledge expands horizons and enriches existence,” the other replied. This one had the same silver hair, yet his was longer and sleek. It went down to his lower back, barely noticeable over the stark white fabric of his button-down shirt with a black ribbon tied under the collar. Black pants covered his legs, and in comparison to the other man, he wore much more accessories. Black, square-rimmed glasses framed his dark red eyes and despite having them fit with lenses- he had no true need for them. In fact, his eyes worked just fine and far more capable than any set of eyes that were bestowed upon to a human. 

“But can’t we transfer all this data over instantly?” 

The one with long hair kept perusing through his book, finding it no hard task to focus on both his younger sibling and the novel he had picked up. “Into your head, perhaps. But not to your heart.”

“Hmm. I guess.” The younger one slumped in his chair, staring at the printed words begrudgingly and letting silence fill the table in between them. After a moment, he glanced up from his book again. “Hey, so…”

“Yes?”

“My name? Eve? This book says it’s a woman’s name,” he said as he flipped the book over to show his brother the passage containing his namesake. “Shouldn’t we be called Cain and Abel or something instead?” The passage showed the other’s namesake as well. In the paragraph talking about a garden, an apple, and a snake. 

Adam finally set his book down, making full eye contact with his brother. “Humans wouldn’t change names so easily,” he explained. “Besides, you should be proud of the name Eve.”

“Huh…” Eve appeared appeased by this sentiment and Adam saw his shoulders relax. “Well, if that’s what you think, then I’m fine with it.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Silence passed by again and Eve set his book down for what seemed like the umpteenth time now. “Ummm…”

“Is there something else?” Exasperation filled Adam’s voice in mitigated levels. 

“After we’re done reading, can we go out and play? I’m sure it’ll be _tons_ of fun!” 

Adam saw the hopeful look in his eyes and hid his smile behind the cover of his book. “Alright. But only after we’ve finished.”

“You mean it!?” Eve could barely keep his excitement in. He flipped open to his last read spot in his book, “Then I’m gonna try extra hard to finish this! Extra _extra_ hard!” 

Once Eve’s eyes began scanning through the pages at a pace faster than he had shown before, Adam's smile grew a little wider. “You do that.”

*******

“Oi, Seven, pick up on that slack! Those boxes are gonna fall over if you’re not careful!” 

“Coming!” Seven picked up on the cart, wheeling them into the warehouse and settling them in a neat row to be put up later. 

“Great, now can ya move them so we can get through easier?” 

“What?!” The man who issued her orders was standing over six feet and was bulked with muscles. It was clear he had the better assets to execute this task, why he didn’t just do it himself wasn’t clear to her. “Can’t you do it? There’s no way I can push those things by myself.”

“I’ll do it.” A stoic voice said behind them and they both turned to see 2B. 

“As long as it gets done, I ain’t complainin’,” the man shrugged and left them to figure just exactly how to move the stuff around. The boxes in question weren’t exactly the smallest, with a length of eight feet across horizontally _and_ vertically- it was a miracle how they even got inside the smaller door in the first place. 

2B walked over to the first box, pressed her shoulder against it, and shoved it back with surprising strength. Soon enough, 2B got it done faster than she could’ve ever pulled off. The android didn’t even break a sweat (were sweat glands even installed in them?), and she turned towards her after the last box locked into place. “Let me see your hands.”

“What?” Seven heard the clicking of 2B’s heels as the android approached her. 

“Hands,” she repeated and she was obliged. 

On Seven’s skin were raised callouses. Red bumps that made the flesh there more prominent and bulging. It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to manual labor, as she hauled boxes up to her apartment back home all the time- but the sheer weight that the other androids made her lug along. They just didn’t account for the fact that a human’s total strength was exponentially lower than even some of their weaker models. This difference of strength was made more apparent when 2B took her hand and made her flinch at the sheer force the android exerted just between her fingers. 

“Ah-!” Seven flinched and 2B tensed. “Your grip is kinda tight.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled, easing off on her strength until she no longer saw the skin being strained under her gloved fingers. After closer inspection, she had the smallest scowl on her lips. “9S and I are leaving to investigate the forest. You’re coming with us.” 

“Isn’t that place infested with machines? Wouldn’t it be safer for me here?”

2B’s head moved up until they were staring at each other face to face and Seven wondered what her eyes looked like under that cloth. “I trust myself more than I do these Resistance members. If you’re with me, I can protect you better.” She then dropped her hands, and went to the entrance of the warehouse. “We leave at 1300 hours.”

*******

As Seven packed up things in her bags, supplies that a human would need, Devola stepped into her room and squinted at the rucksack in her hand. “Hey, just where do you think you’re going?”

“2B said I’m going with her to the forest,” she replied back with a shrug. “Boss’ orders.”

“She isn’t your boss,” Devola crossed her arms. 

“Right, but she _is_ protecting me. I at least owe it to her to listen.” 

Devola grumbled something under her breath, most of which it was all unintelligible except for a few choice curse words. After she was done, she twirled on her heels to march off and left her to continue packing in peace. Once everything was stuffed into her bag, she tossed it over her shoulder and walked out to see Popola holding back Devola who appeared vexed at 2B’s indifference. 

“You know the forest is a dangerous place. Why you’re bringing her there, I just don’t understand!” Devola’s voice was raised and Popola pulled her back when she started towards 2B again. 

“I know it is, despite that, the safest place for her is near me,” said 2B, irritating Devola even more. 

“Are you serious right now?!”

Popola dug her heels in the dirt. “Devola, please.”

“You’re not as capable for battle as I am,” 2B remained calm, despite her rage. “No one in this Resistance camp is. It’s my job to keep an eye on her, and I intend to do just that.” 

Both parties stopped arguing when Seven came close enough to hear as though their conversation was meant to be private- even if mostly everyone around them heard Devola yelling. The twins stepped back, averting their gaze as 2B appraised her getup and noted the medium-sized backpack on her person. 

“That will slow you down,” she told her, motioning to the bag.

“It has things I need,” Seven insisted. Most of what was inside was a blanket, a couple satchels of food, and several bottles of purified water. The latter did indeed make the bag heavier than it needed to be, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. Dehydration would be an embarrassing way to die, and she had no idea how long their trek would last. 

“If you’re worried about her slowing you down, just leave her here,” Devola said. 

“Not a chance.” 2B held her hand out. “Let me carry those things.” Using two hands to grapple it and hand it over, the android slung it over her shoulder in one fluid motion on a spot where it wouldn’t touch the large blades at her back. “9S scouted ahead, we’re meeting him at a rendezvous point near the city center.” With that, 2B walked off and Seven had to break out into a half-jog just to catch up to her. Before turning the corner, she waved at Devola and Popola and the twins waved back. 

“Hey, YoRHa!” Devola called out. “Make sure you don’t get her cut up this time!” 


	3. III

“2B, slow down,” 9S urged her and the android turned to see Seven lagging behind with 9S right next to her. On her forehead was a fresh batch of perspiration as she did her best to keep up with them. 

“Sorry,” Seven panted. “I just need to catch my breath. You guys can go ahead if you want.” The area they were in contained a lack of lifeforms except for the three of them and the occasional boar or moose. “You said there’s supposed to be machines out here- but I haven’t seen any so far?”

“I cleared them out,” 9S said with a proud smile. “Hacking into their systems is child’s play.” Seven’s eyes wandered to the black sword on his back and he caught that gesture. “I’m not much of a fighter,” he explained, “hacking’s my specialty. The sword is there if things get really sticky.”

2B stopped, holding an arm out to bar the other two from advancing. “Wait here, I’m sensing machine lifeforms. 9S you stay with Seven. I’ll give you the word when you can advance.”

“What?” 9S raised his brows. “You’re kidding, I thought I got rid of all of them.” 

“Their production levels are far greater than ours,” 2B said. “Remember?”

Thoughts of metallic monsters with glowing red eyes filled her mind and she shuddered. “Shouldn’t Nines go with you? He can help-”

“No. 9S will stay here to watch you while I clear them out,” 2B repeated and her word was final. The android jumped up towards a cement pillar that led towards a dilapidated old highway; she did it with such grace that it reminded Seven of the vast differences in their capabilities. Despite the androids being created by humans to be in their image, they were more capable in every single way possible. 

Seven watched her disappear and let out a hefty sigh. “I feel like she hates me.”

“Who? 2B?” 9S laughed. “Don’t worry, that’s just how she is. I’ve been her partner for a while now and she still treats me like that.” He stepped in front of her with his fist raised, “I noticed you called me Nines. Pretty cool nickname, right?” 

“Yeah,” she cracked a smile and bumped her fist against his. For a second that their fists touched, she felt like she was talking to another human- but only for a second. One look at his soft, white hair and doll-like features was enough to remind her that that wasn’t the case. But still. The gesture was appreciated. 

“Oh, before I forget!” He motioned his pod to float in front of her. “I need to scan you. Command wants to know what the lost human looks like. You don’t have to do anything, just stay still.”

She complied. Remaining perfectly still and unmoving until the pod released a soft light that formed a transverse plane that moved up and down her body. It blinded her momentarily when it rested on her pupils before scanning the rest of her head and back down again. “Alright,” 9S said and looked straight ahead of him, talking to a screen that displayed another android next to a body of text. Their conversation was only audible from 9S' side, but she could still see the other android's mouth move underneath the black veil she wore over the lower half of her face. “Did you get that? Or do you need another one?... No? Alright, yes yes, I got it!... Geez, operator, cold as usual!” 

9S’ head turned back to her with a friendly smile. “There, they received it. Now we’ll wait until they send back the data. Isn’t it exciting?”

She couldn’t imagine anything more fun than staring at what would probably be a diagram showcasing her bones. Although she appreciated the energy he exuded, it made up for whatever energy was lost in 2B. 

In the distance, they heard sounds of a laser firing and 9S didn’t seem the least bit bothered, so she assumed that it was normal and did her best to maintain her cool. They both waited in silence until 2B came back to fetch them, all the while Nines’ pod, Pod 153, sent the transmission back to the Bunker. 

*******

[Message Incoming] 

“Operator, display it to full screen.” Doing as they were told, an image popped up for all to see. A young woman was shown, her hair sticking to her forehead in sweated clumps along with a sheen across her face that was inherently absent in androids. This alone was evidence that the woman on display was indeed a human- as sweat and sebaceous glands were not included in the construction of androids. If that wasn’t proof enough, an MRI scan was displayed right next to her; showcasing all of the organs and bone structures within. And of course, the beating heart that thumped just between her fresh lungs. 

It was a beautiful sight. So much so that the Commander was rendered momentarily speechless. 

This human… She had to protect her at all costs. 

But something bothered her that she dared not discuss aloud. Not even to 2B or 9S. 

Just how did this human get here?

“Commander, how will we move forward with this?” Another B-type android addressed her. 

Commander White’s eyes never left the human’s face. “We complete our mission as we’ve always strived to do. We destroy any and all machines. The safety of this human, now designated as number ‘Seven’, is all of YoRHa’s top priority.” Turning around to face her subordinates, she placed a hand across her chest, “Glory to mankind!” 

All of the androids returned her salute. “Glory to mankind!” 

*******

“Watch your step, okay? It’s a long way down.”

“You don’t say..” Seven peaked over the frayed rope knots that held up this bridge and immediately regretted this action. As over the edge was a rather long fall into an abyss; the vertical slopes of the wide canyon were made invisible as it plunged deeper and deeper into the darkness. Like a gaping mouth ready to swallow her up. 

Ahead of her, 2B remained relatively close. Every time Seven would take a step, 2B would take two. Enough of a distance to be able to reach behind her if something happened, but not close enough so that they could communicate in whispers. As always, 9S stayed right beside her with his ever watchful gaze never leaving her while she took tentative skips across the rotting wood.

“Very low-tech, huh?” She tried to chuckle, but sucked in her breath when the plank groaned loudly in response just beneath her foot. In her peripheral, she could see 2B tense, getting ready to grab her at a minute’s notice had the plank collapsed. 

2B extended her hand, holding it out to her as she caught her breath. “Let me carry you across.”

Her cheeks flushed as she shook her head, “No, I can walk.” Just as she took a step forward, the next plank collapsed underneath her weight and she felt her body take a plunge. Seven bit her lip, grabbing onto the nearby rope and hoisted herself up while she rolled onto the next plank before the androids could do anything. Once her back hit the semi-solid surface, she let out a sigh. “Jesus H. Christ, this bridge.”

2B watched as 9S helped her up and the rest of the trek was made in silence. Though Seven noticed 2B giving the planks an extra tap of her heels along the way to test their durability. 

Solid ground rewarded her on the other side and she was thankful that they had something reliable to stand on. She didn’t think she could make that trip twice. 

“I didn’t know you were scared of heights,” 9S said. “We could’ve found another way for you.”

“It’s not heights per se,” she replied. “It’s the impact where I lose feeling in my legs and body that scares me. I assume android limbs are easier to replace than human limbs, huh?”

“Yeah,” he seemed sheepish of this fact. “Pretty easy, actually. Perks of being replaceable, I guess.”

From the corner of her eyes, she saw 2B clench her fist but when she turned to face her, the fist was relaxed by her side. “We received word the signal is through here, but I see no way through.” 

9S looked up all around them with his mouth slightly agape. He didn’t get the chance to properly observe their environment, but now he did. “Oh! According to old world databases, this was-”

“-A shopping mall,” Seven finished, matching his wonderment. The building they were in was large and rectangular, a by-product of an age where humans favored modernism and frivolous spending. This area seemed familiar, and now she could see why. Though she had to imagine the place without the overgrown foliage to get a clearer picture of where she was now. Closing her eyes, she could see people carrying colorful bags on each arm, kids running around with tired parents trailing behind, and the latest trends being displayed in stores she could never hope to afford. “I remember.”

“This place is amazing,” 9S mumbled to himself. “You humans must’ve really liked shopping, huh?”

She grinned. “It was fun to hang with friends here. We’d grab a bite to eat or catch a movie if we had the time.”

“Aw, I wish we could do that.” His eyes kept finding something new to look at. “I can’t believe the size of the commercial facility. The people of the old world must have led pretty good lives. I bet it was fun to shop back when you had so many choices.”

“We don’t need such things,” said 2B. 

Her cutting tone made Seven blink in surprise, but was even more surprised by the fact that 9S chuckled, completely unbothered by it. “Don’t be so sure about that! Once we eradicate the machine lifeforms, us soldiers won’t have anything left to do. We’ll enter a new age of peace.” He turned around, smiling at the two of them, “And when that happens, we should go shopping together! I could buy you two...I dunno. A t-shirt, maybe? Something that looks good on you girls.”

“A ‘t-shirt’?” 2B scrunched up her nose slightly. 

“What? Not interested?”

“Hmm..” 2B stepped away and Seven thought that would be the end of the conversation, but saw that she looked at them over her shoulder. “When that day comes... I’m all for it.” 

“That’s a promise, right?” 

The faintest smile appeared on 2B’s lips. “Yep.” 

“C’mon, Seven, you too.” 9S turned to her. “Us three will go shopping once all machines are wiped out!” 

“Sounds good,” she held up her pinkie to him and he stared at it. “You’re supposed to intertwine your pinkies together when you make a promise. It’s sort of a..binding contract.”

“Humans are so odd,” he laughed, but wrapped his pinkie around hers nonetheless. “Promise.”

Taking a leap of faith, she walked over to 2B with her pinky up. “You too, you have to promise us.” She didn’t think she would, she thought that the android would promptly ignore her. But ever so slowly, 2B raised her arm and wrapped her pinkie around hers. 

“I promise,” she repeated and Seven could feel herself relaxing. Whatever animosity was present before seemed to dissipate, and she could finally see herself bonding with this cold-shouldered android. 

Though their moment was ruined as a sound akin to something being turned on and coming to life got their attention. Through the cracked opening of the atrium, they all saw large figures drop down. Stacked tall with metal and wiedling a great-bladed axe, four of them lined up side-by-side with their eyes aglow in red. Their bodies were hulking and trampled the delicate vines crawling through the floor as they made their way over to them. 

_So,_ Seven’s throat suddenly became dry, _this is a machine._

2B charged first. Her smaller sword replaced in favor of something bigger. Swinging the long, white blade at the machines, she made quick work of the first. As the second swung his axe at her, Seven watched in awe as her body quickly became transparent whilst flipping over the sharpened edge. 

9S dodged an attack as he tried hacking into one. “Seven, don’t come too close-” 

The machine 2B wasn’t dealing with reared its head towards her direction and she felt her heart sink. It charged at her, swinging its blade around in a whirlwind fashion as she found shelter behind one of the columns holding up the second landing. The ancient stone caught the machine’s blade, but didn't deter as it kept whacking at the support; dust fell from the floor above to her head and she found herself stuck between the pillars and the thick vines that obscured her path. Then, the machine stopped and its eyes bore into the human with furious intensity. 

“Scanning. Unidentified life-form-”

A tip of a white blade poked out of its chest and yellowed oil spilled out and onto Seven’s face. She stared up in agitation as the large machine fell down, reduced to an unresponsive pile of metal. 

2B crouched down in front of her makeshift shelter, promising her safety with her hand held out. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Seven took her hand and crawled out. Taking the edge of the cloak she was given, she began dabbing the oil from her face. 

“That was careless of us to be caught off guard,” 2B muttered. “We should’ve been more vigilant. From now on, we’ll exclude unnecessary conversation, understood?”

This time, 9S nodded obediently. “..Yes ma’am.” 

Seven murmured in agreement and watched 9S raise his hand over the machine’s carcasses. Small continuous beams of light shot out from his palm through a circle formed of that same luminescence, hitting the machines and disappearing within their metal folds. She didn’t know what he was doing exactly, but he seemed focused as once he was done, he moved onto the next. “I’m purging their data,” he explained when he saw her inquisitive expression. “They spotted you, and if that data was uploaded to their Network..”

“The machines would no doubt be after you,” 2B finished. “All of them. All at once.” She motioned to the hood on her cloak, “Put that on and keep your head down. Don’t take it off until we’re somewhere safe like the Resistance camp.” 

She did as she was told, flipping the hood up over her head. It concealed her hair and upper half of her face, the shadows it cast hid the rest and she looked just like any other Resistance member. That was probably what Popola intended when she gave her this cloak. It was dark brown and patched up with fabric that obviously didn’t belong to the original item. Instead, it showed wear and tear, but provided excellent camouflage and protection from the elements. Additionally, there was a small, white, star-shaped flower embroidered onto the lapel of the cloak with the initials ‘P+D’ underneath it. 

_Popola and Devola.._ She ran a finger over the white flower and appreciated how soft it felt. She missed those twin androids. Hopefully she could see them again once their excursion to the forest was over. 

“What the hell-?” 

The machine 9S was purging suddenly sprang back to life and instead of attacking them- it began running in circles. 

“Must be a malfunction,” said 9S.

“Pod,” 2B instructed and her pod hovered over her shoulder. 

“Roger,” it spoke as its body opened up at the front seam to reveal a glowing core that launched a destructive beam at the machine. The machine was rendered lifeless again as it collapsed after the focused blast. Though that wasn’t the end of it. 

The head popped right off the torso and spun around in the same fashion. Finally it stopped when it reached Seven’s feet and opened up at the seam like an Easter egg. Seven blinked as she stared at what seemed like a face engraved into a spherical object. It had large circles for eyes, two small holes for a nose, and a wide mouth that was set with an alarming amount of teeth that was fixed in a permanent grin. Against her better instinct, she picked it up and to her surprise (or disgust) it felt warm. 

“Um.. What’s that?” 2B and 9S stood on either sides of her as they studied the object. 

It blinked and Seven bit back a surprised yelp. 

“Huh? Hey, where am I?” 

“..The mall..?” Seven answered slowly and she felt 2B smack the object out of her hand and let it roll away as she readied her sword. “Wait!” She grabbed the android’s sword arm. “I don’t think it’s dangerous!”

The sphere faced them, blinking. “Hey there, guys! What’s up?” Its voice was reminiscent of a child. A young boy, in particular. 

9S grabbed his sword as well. “This thing’s weird, 2B. Let’s kill it.”

The sphere’s expression didn’t change, but there was clear alarm in his voice. “Wait, what? No! Hold on!” 

2B’s stance changed, the one she always had right before an attack. “Good idea.” 

“No!” Seven grabbed onto both androids. “Stop that!” 

The sphere didn’t manage to see Seven try to stop them and instead rolled away at high speeds. “Nooooooooo!” He screamed followed by a loud crash at the other side of the mall. The two androids relaxed and sheathed their blades. 

“Okay, what _was_ that?” 9S asked them. 

2B ignored his question and pointed her attention at Seven. “Why did you stop us?” 

“Don’t just start attacking things without question!” She exclaimed. “Whatever that thing was, it obviously wasn’t trying to hurt us.”

“It was inside a machine, and you decided to pick it up like a pet. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“It might’ve been from a machine, but it was clearly confused as to how it got there. What’s up with you trying to kill everything on sight?”

“There’s nothing wrong with our methods.”

At this, she scoffed. Loudly. “You sure about that? Because I got a huge scar on my chest that says otherwise.” 

Silence filled the void between them. Awkward, insufferable silence. 

After what seemed like an eternity, 2B spoke first. 

“YoRHa was created to fight against the machines to preserve and ensure victory for you humans.” There was a crinkle on her blindfold where she narrowed her eyes. “My main concern now is to protect you, that doesn’t mean you can get in the way of my duty to destroy the machines. Understood?”

That was more of a statement rather than a question, and Seven, once again, had no choice but to comply. All thoughts of them forming some type of friendship were dismissed, if not altogether eradicated completely. 

*******

Buried deep underground was a city. White walls were built high above in multiple stories; the pavement itself was the same garish color and was oddly symmetrical along the path that curved through the buildings; even the fabricated sky above was pure white. It was all strange and alien to Eve, as he did not understand the importance of any of these structures. Nor did he care. 

But Adam did. And that’s all that mattered to Eve. 

He found him at the base of a tall, rectangular building built vertically into the ground. Adam told him it was a thing called a ‘clocktower’, humans used it to tell the time if a smaller timepiece wasn’t regularly available to them. Blocks floated all around his brother, moving to spots to be formed into a new building or to be meshed into the faux paved stone path. Eve waited until he was done with his task before interrupting, but Adam stopped what he was doing to greet his sibling. 

“What do you think of it so far?” he asked the younger. 

“I think it looks good.” Truthfully, he had no opinion over it. Though he did notice it grow larger since his last visit and it _was_ unlike anything he’d seen before. 

“Just imagine, humans would gather in places like these. To meet with others, to enjoy the scenery, and other such casual activities. In the same places they would engage with their loved ones- they would also in turn steal and cheat. They would hand out both affection and betrayal in equal measure.. Why, it’s fascinating, is it not?”

Adam awaited for Eve’s answer. “Yeah,” he nodded. _Not really._ Again, he didn’t understand. He didn’t care. 

“Well, you had a reason for coming here, what is it?” 

_I wanted to spend time with you._ “..If you somehow got a human. What would you do with it?” 

Adam paced, staring at the ground as he did. “I have so many questions for them. I want to see what it means to be one of them. And then-” he paused, “-I want to see what makes their heart stop.” One of the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile, “Our databases claim they’re fragile beyond means. I would like to see just how much truth this claim holds. Oh, to get my hands on one.. Especially one of the female sex.”

“Why a woman?”

“Because,” Adam pointed his red eyes at Eve. “Records say that a woman can create another human within nine months. Granted she’s given the proper fertilization. Their internal biology- it’s such a complex machine.”

“Nine months? That’s kinda long.”

“Yes, I agree. The conceptualization of another of their kind should not take such lengths. Our way of creation renders theirs almost obsolete. But even still, I would very much like to see it.” 

“Well.. I’ll see about trying to get to the moon quicker, brother.”

“You do that.” Eve remained there long after their conversation ended and watched Adam place more blocks into detailed shapes to form a roof. After a while, he looked back to see his little brother standing there with a question forming on his face. “Yes?”

“If I get you a human, would you wanna play afterwards?” 

“Let’s say you do, then I would oblige your wish.” 

“Really!? Okay, I’ll work on getting one for you really quick! Then we can spend some time together, right?”

“I have no doubts in mind you’d find humans enthralling as well. Expect to spend plenty of time with both them and I- should you somehow come across one.” 

Eve was apathetic towards the concept of wasting away minutes with a human, not when the prospect of time spent with his older brother was enough to psyche him up. He was unconcerned if he had to find a way to build a ship to get to the moon just to nab one insignificant human. Who knows? Maybe he would get lucky and find one wandering around here. 

*******

“2B.. Don’t you think you were too harsh on Seven?” 

The two androids rushed up the stone stairs of the old castle nestled deep within the forest. Thick, brown vines corrupted the stone walls and perverted the once pristine building into an amalgamation of both natural and manmade structures. 

“No,” she answered, and that was that. He couldn’t argue with her on that topic any longer. 

“You know.. She calls me Nines, why don’t you? We’ve worked together for a while now.”

“9S will suffice.” 

He let out a sigh and followed her over the collapsed bridge linking the antechamber to the main hall. They left Seven at a safe location, at the orders of 2B. Though he felt bad for leaving her alone, he had to admit they were moving much faster than when she was tagging along. They ran as they did before, with no concern that they were leaving anyone behind. It felt good to move freely, but thoughts of guilt plagued him. It wasn’t Seven’s fault for being unable to function as they did. If anything, he envied her more. 

“I like Seven, don’t you, 2B? She’s honest with her feelings. You can always tell what she’s thinking if you look at her facial expressions.”

“...”

_Unlike you_ , he wanted to add as a joke but decided against it. After they ascended to the third floor and through yet another hallway, he thought about what Seven said that caught him off guard. When they arrived to the castle, Seven was filled with curiosity- much like he was. 

_“‘Schwanstein Castle’. Constructed by a reigning lord of the fief. Though it was initially used as a fortress during the lord’s conflict against the church, it soon became a dwelling for the royal family and other nobles long after the war. Also, due to his love of literature, there’s a huge library erected in the back with tons of books.” Seven whistled. “Nines, if you find an intact book, can you bring it to me?”_

_“Sure thing! But.. how do you know so much about the castle?”_

_“Hm? I.. I guess I just remember.”_

That conversation wasn’t the thing that piqued his interest. It was the fact that he found a document detailing the castle’s history and the contents listed out what she said, almost word-for-word. He thought about it some more, but eventually purged it. Maybe he was overthinking it. 

2B stopped once they reached a library. Just like Seven said, the library was expansive. Looking down, he saw more books, looking up, he saw even more books. Plucking one off the shelf, he carefully opened the old leather and a cloud of dust met him as the pages disintegrated in his very hands. He placed the book back and grabbed another one, only to receive the same results.

“What are you doing?” 2B asked. 

“Seven wanted a book,” he waved away the dust. “I want to find her one.”

“That’s not part of our mission.”

“Don’t be like that. Here, why don’t I find one and tell her it’s from you? That’ll patch things up between you two.”

“There’s nothing to ‘patch up’. We’re wasting time here. There’s more machines up top.”

9S set the last book down with a defeated slump of his shoulders and followed 2B up the ladder. He figured they left Seven behind because of this castle’s purportedly narrow hallways that made it hard for them to defend anyone. Even 2B seemed stifled at how small their fighting spaces were, but as usual, she failed to complain about it. 

The machines in the forest castle were dressed in a strange manner. They donned ‘armor’ scavenged from parts of fellow dead machines, and they even saw one riding on a ‘horse’ (which was really just a quadruped machine) on their way in. These ones were different from the ones in the city, that’s for sure. A look into their database suggested these ones wanted to mimic the old denizens of the castle. They wanted to be knights, and as every fairy tale goes: knights needed someone to lord over them. That’s why they were here- to find the king of the castle. 

After jumping over another ruined bridge, they found themselves in a hallway larger than the rest. On the sides were ruined columns that stood on either direction of the cobbled stone path that led to a set of grand stairs. More helmeted machines arose from the ground, attempting to ambush them as they wobbled over to the androids. 2B dispatched of them quickly while 9S followed suit. Granted his hacking wasn’t as fast as her blade, he took care of a couple while she finished off the last with a generous slice of her sword. 

“Maybe this is it? This many machines here must mean they’re protecting something.”

They ascended the stairs and arrived in a spacious chamber with vines hanging off the arched ceiling. More leaves and vines were found on the floor and served as a vector to the head of the room where the throne was supposed to sit. Though instead of the traditional seat, there lay a cradle in its stead. 

2B and 9S approached it and seemed taken aback at the thing that huddled within a patchwork blanket. It was a small machine, cooing and gurgling as if it were a human baby. A makeshift pacifier that was really just a bolt rested in its mouth and blinked its large innocent eyes up at the two androids. 

“Is this..their king?” 9S was stunned. How could machines strive to build a civilization of their own? This type of behavior was relatively new to him. Had machines grown so desperate as to try and mimic human attributes? 

2B stared at the thing. “Seven won’t be able to stop us from doing our jobs here.” At that moment, he realized the real reason as to why 2B wanted to leave her behind. 

Before he could voice his concerns, something fell from the ceiling at high velocity and they soon were blown back by the impact. As soon as they recovered, they looked up to see a female android hold up her sword. At the end of her blade was the baby king, its eyes now dull and lifeless. The android gazed at it for a brief moment before discarding the baby with a flick of her weapon, letting the corpse flail against the floor before rolling to a stop. 

2B stepped in front of 9S as the unknown female android walked over to them with a casual stride. Her appearance was disheveled. With long, white hair flowing down to her thighs, and tattered black fabric hanging off her scuffed limbs. Some of her parts were so scratched up that it lost the previous coloring of skin that was supposed to be there and reverted into pure carbon black. 

“2B! That’s...an android!” he exclaimed. “A YoRHa-type android!” 

9S’ pod began beeping. “Alert: This unit is currently wanted by YoRHa. Annihilation recommended.”

“Annihilation? But why!?”

The why or how didn’t matter to the battle android. All she knew were her orders. “Let’s go, 9S.” 

“2B!” 9S wanted to stop and ask why this specific android was wanted. What crimes did she commit? No sooner that he tried to dissuade her, 2B and the unidentified android locked blades. The android pushed 2B back, stepping forward as her whole body engulfed in a red and black aura and rushed them. They both jumped to evade and felt the ground shake as the android suddenly appeared from the top and released a massive AoE attack. _She’s fast…!”_

Pod 153 beeped again and this time he heard the commander’s voice. _“Bunker to 2B and 9S. We’ve picked up a signal from the black box of a fugitive known as A2.”_

2B countered her bladed, taking out a secondary weapon to try and hit her- but with no success. It was a storm of swords and missiles as Pod 042 fired shots to assist. 

_“What you see in front of you..is your enemy.”_

He couldn’t believe it. “But she’s-”

_“She deserted us. She’s destroyed multiple pursuit androids. Now kill her before she kills you!”_

A2 ducked to avoid 2B’s whirl of swords, but ended up being blasted by one of the pod’s missiles. It struck her and 2B used this opening to land a hit that left a lateral gash on her lower arm. A2’s body turned translucent as she avoided another strike and jumped up high, landing on the precipice of one of the large windowless arches that surrounded the cradle. 

2B and 9S had a moment to breathe as the three androids merely studied each other. 

“Why..? Why did you betray us!?” He shouted at her. 

A2’s hair momentarily blocked her face and when the wind picked up again, he could see the indifference on it. “Command is the one that betrayed you.” Turning around, she leapt off the edge and disappeared below. 

“Let’s go after her, 2B!” 9S and 2B followed suit, leaping over the baby king’s carcass and the window’s edge. They both grappled onto their pods midair as they were being landed safely back onto solid ground. Once there though, they saw no trace of the rogue android. “Damn! She got away.” He instructed his pod to contact the bunker, “Operator, this is 9S. Patch me through to the Commander.”

An image of his operator, Operator 21O, popped up on a hologram displayed by his pod. _“Roger that, 9S.”_

Once the commander’s face was shown on screen, he began briefing her. “I’m sorry, Commander. We failed to defeat the fugitive.”

_“I see. Well, at least you’re both safe. That’s an incredibly powerful unit you just faced. You should probably keep your distance in the future.”_

“Commander?” Here it was. The question that was bugging him. “Why did A2 desert the force?”

There was silence on the line and he heard her huff. _“I’m afraid that’s classified.”_

“Oh? Huh.” That wasn’t the answer he expected. Soon enough, the call ended and he was left alone with 2B again. “2B?”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go ask Pascal about A2. He might know something.”

“Alright.”

His pod beeped again and the commander’s face showed, this time her face was filled with agitation. _“9S. I didn’t see Seven with you. Where is she? Was she there when A2 attacked?”_

The two of them didn’t need any further motivation to run back to Seven’s hiding spot at full speed.

*******

Seven was situated behind a waterfall. Through the running curtain of water, she could see a blurred image of the castle and imagined what it must be like to live in one that was as grand as that. Even the trees in this place grew to such heights and widths that she’d never seen before. Though she supposed that was because of the lack of human tampering for thousands of years. Pacing back and forth, she wondered how much time had passed. A glance at the sky was no help as the sun shined on with great enthusiasm. 

She retreated back into the shadows and pulled her hood over her face more. Now that she thought about it, she hasn’t remembered a time since she got here that the sun _wasn’t_ shining. Even when she was in the Resistance camp, it was always sunny out. There were no hints of the sky turning orange with twilight or any other color for that fact. It was perpetually high noon in this new world. 

She missed the cool rain. 

Sitting in the dark, she spotted something glowing between the pile of rocks nearby. She peered over to see a white, star-shaped flower that gave off a soft light in the midst of the shade. It was calming to look at, and eased any of the anxiety that manifested in her heart. Upon closer inspection, she noticed it matched the one embroidered onto her lapel. A part of her wanted to pluck it to show Devola and Popola. 

But a larger part of her told her to leave it alone so someone else could admire its beauty. 

Scooting the pack of supplies closer, she fished out her recorder and held it to her lips. Since there was nothing else to do, she might as well document her day. “Ahem, this is-” she stopped herself from repeating her full name, “-Seven. This is number Seven. Uh. Oh god, I don’t even know the date, but it’s day two of being in this new world.” She wanted to slap herself for sounding so stupid. The sound of her voice being recorded and played back to her was already a nightmare within itself. “...2B and I got into a fight today, I think. Nines wanted us to get along, but I don’t think she likes me at all… I feel like such a burden to them.”

Shutting her eyes, she bit the inside of her cheek. “Nevermind, I should start over,” she said aloud as she pressed stop. Before she could press play again, a rustling of the rocks grabbed her attention and she immediately pressed her back against the wall. Someone jumped through the slim crevice above and she saw a flash of white hair and black clothes.

As she was going to form 2B’s name on her lips, she soon saw that this android was not whom she thought it was. 

The female android stared at her. One of her arms were cut up and the wires and metal limbs beneath were visible. Immediately, Seven stood up and they locked eyes for a long while before she decided to speak up. “Do you need help with that?” she pointed to her arm. 

“..Are you with YoRHa?”

“No.” _Not technically._

“Are you a newer model?”

Seven didn’t know how to respond. Should she lie and claim she was? Or could she safely say she was a human? 

“What? You stupid or something?” the android seemed irked. 

In return, Seven herself felt irritated at this bad-mannered android. “Don’t answer my question with another question.” The annoyed feeling powered her courage to speak. “I asked you if you need help: is that a yes or a no?”

The android kept quiet, but jutted her injured arm towards her. She took that as a yes and rushed over to inspect the damage. An oily substance dripped from the cut on her arm and inside she could see multiple wires that acted as vessels for the body. Staring at it, panic began to set in as she didn’t know the first thing about first-aid when it came to androids. 

“Boy, you’re kinda useless, you know?” she quipped and Seven clicked her tongue. 

“And you’re rather rude. Give me a moment.” Rushing back to grab her pack, she rummaged around until she found what she was searching for. A recovery pack for androids. She didn’t know how to use it or even how to administer it. Devola packed it in there just in case ‘one of those dumb YoRHa androids get hurt and were too injured to protect her.’

Taking the recovery pack to her, she stared at the translucent thing. It was shaped into a small, orbicular flask with a glowing substance inside. She had no idea what it was, but Devola said it contained nanobytes that helped reconstruct wounded parts on androids- albeit only superficial wounds. 

“You’re supposed to crush it,” the android said. “Were you born yesterday?”

Seven ignored her and crushed it in her palm, watching it disappear, glass and all, into tiny flecks of light that hovered over her arm. Like Devola said, it reconstructed the damaged surface and soon, there was not even a scar left. Instinctively, she tore up a piece of her cloak and wrapped it around the spot that was injured. She topped it off with a nice ribbon-shaped knot.

“..The hell are you doing?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “It’s just something you’re supposed to do, I guess.” _If you’re human_. Soon, she was embarrassed. She had to get used to the fact that she was the only human here, and her human traditions would seem weird to other androids as well as potentially blowing her cover.

“That wasn’t necessary.”

Seven scowled. “A ‘thank you’ would suffice.”

The android looked down at the makeshift bandage and clicked her tongue. “...Thank you.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard.” She finally smiled. “My name’s- er, you can call me Seven.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“What’s yours?” 

The android clicked her tongue again, clearly annoyed by her earnest attitude. “....A2.” 

As Seven was closer to see the android better now, she saw that A2 appeared as if she didn’t take care of herself much. Dirt was smudged over the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and she wondered if the android knew that it was there. Or if she did, and she didn’t care. 

“You got some, uh..” she motioned to the side of her cheek, but A2 just glared at her with clear, blue eyes. Despite the specks of soot on her face, Seven thought she was beautiful. With how her long white hair defined her slim silhouette and reflective blue eyes that studied her carefully. Instead of replying, A2 turned to exit the small cave and Seven chased after her. “Wait! Take these!” 

A2 turned around and felt her hand being grabbed and stuffed with more recovery packs. “You need these more than I do,” said Seven. As she held her hand, she could feel A2 tense up at the close proximity and didn’t even bother trying to relax. 

With a weary eye still placed on her, A2 accepted it and without another word, she leapt up the ledge leading above the waterfall. Seven was left alone once again, and her shoulders dropped once she saw that she was gone completely. _Were all white-haired, female androids anti-social as hell?_

Not even a moment after she sat down again, another set of rustling rocks alerted her. But this time, two familiar figures jumped down to the mouth of the cave where A2 just made her exit. 

“Hey,” 9S ran to her. “You okay? Sorry we took so long.”

“It’s fine, nothing much happened.” That was a half-lie. Nothing truly did happen, except for meeting A2. But she was so reserved, it was basically just her talking to herself in here. 

“We’re going to the nearby village to ask some questions,” he told her while 2B lingered behind. “Sorry, there were no books to bring back.” 

“It’s fine,” she assured him. “Anything happen in the castle?”

“Let’s go,” 2B instructed them and exited the cave first. 9S’ mouth formed a thin line and he tried to laugh it off. Without another word, Seven picked up her pack- not missing the fact that it was quite heavy, and followed them the best she possibly could. 


	4. IV

“This village you mentioned- is it full of androids like the Resistance camp?”

“Ah,” 9S chuckled lightly. “No, it’s full of machines.”

“..What?” Seven stepped around him, forcing him to stop. “You guys said all machines were bad? Why would we be going to a village filled with the enemy?”

9S glanced to 2B for help. “Well, I guess we didn’t tell the full truth. We have an ally here. His name is Pascal.”

“This village is filled with friendlies, you won’t have to worry here,” said 2B. They arrived at a large stone gate covered with vines. A part of the ancient structure opened and allowed them to slip through a crack between the stone and leaves to get to the other side. After 2B let her go in first so that she could follow, her pod began beeping and a picture of a young female android showed up on the holographic screen. Her golden blonde hair was tied into two braids going down the sides of her face, and she wore the typical fashion that most operators seemed to don. 

_ “Operator 6O to 2B…” _ Her voice was shaking.  _ “Time for your regularly-scheduled contact…”  _ 6O then began breaking out into full-blown sobs that made 9S and Seven look to each other in confusion. 

“2B here,” the android replied. “What’s wrong?”

_ “Oh,”  _ 6O sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with the ends of her mouth veil.  _ “There’s this operator I kind of liked, but when I asked her out, she turned me down.” _ At that, she began letting out wails that could only belong to that of someone who was rejected romantically.  _ “Honestly, 2B? I don’t know how I’m supposed to go on living.” _

“I am definitely not the person to discuss this with.” 

6O ignored that statement and sniffled.  _ “I don’t think I can stand spending one more day in this Bunker…” _

“..You leaving would be bad for me.” 2B’s words made Seven smile, which almost disappeared with what she followed it up with. “It would affect mission efficiency.” 

Weirdly though, it was enough to make 6O stop her sniffling.  _ “A-are you saying you need me, 2B?” _

“All model-B combat units require the assistance of an operator. So…”

_ “2B..!” _

“That’s all. Closing this channel.” 

_ “Wait! The Commander wants a status update on our human. Please report!”  _

The pod turned in Seven’s direction and the human pulled her hood up to reveal her face a bit more. “Seven here,” she smiled. “Everything’s peachy.” 

_ “Perfect. I’m sure the Commander will be pleased.. I have a personal question, if you don’t mind.” _

“Shoot.”

_ “Is it true humans enjoy reading fortunes and the stars- like astrology?”  _

“I don’t see how this is relevant,” 2B muttered under her breath. 

“Yeah,” Seven replied. “It’s fun to look at. Usually those types of things are geared towards lovers or couples- ah, sorry.” She regretted mentioning relationships as this one just had hers obliterated out of her dreams. There had to be something she could say to make up for her mistake. “Hey.. 6O? If it makes you feel better. I think you’re really cute and I would love to go on a date with you if you ever asked me.”

6O seemed flustered, her eyes widening slightly and sinking her nose deeper into her veil.  _ “Ah- oh! Th-that’s.. You find me cute? You? A human?” _

“Yup!”

_ “Well, I- uh, gotta go! Operator 6O out!”  _ The line closed and they were left alone with the silence of the forest. 

“I bet she was super happy to hear that,” 9S mused. “That’s as flustered as an android can get.”

“I just wanted to make her happy,” she said. “Being rejected hurts.”

2B looked on as the both of them seemed to have fun talking about how embarrassed 6O was of her compliment. “The results you expected might’ve had unexpected outcomes. Flattery can often be perceived as just another lie.”

Seven bit the inside of her cheek and her stomach began to turn. She sensed another argument coming. “But I wasn’t lying. Everything I said to her, I meant it. I wanted to make her happy.”

“Emotions are prohibited.”

Once again, she felt a rift forming between her and the android. She wanted nothing more to be friends with the one who was supposed to protect her, but she couldn’t help but dislike all of her ‘rules’ that she lived by. Before she could stop herself, she tossed out the insult that 2B hurled at her just before they arrived at the forest. “There’s nothing wrong with my methods.”

2B’s lips tightened and she turned on her heels to walk up the path into the woods. 9S motioned for Seven to follow, but continued on to tail behind 2B, who was making quick headway without them.

It seemed like she didn’t care about leaving Seven behind this time. 

*******

Pascal was the machine leader of this community. A tall, bipedal type with two large eyes on his cylindrical-shaped head. His eyes glowed a bright green, as bright as the forest leaves that spread a large canopy of the village they stood in. Initially, Seven was nervous about entering. But once she saw how 2B and 9S walked past the large machine standing guard near the ladder entrance, she relaxed. 

Though not completely. 

Smaller machines seemed to have followed them as they were curious about the newest incomer: Seven, who unbeknownst to them, was a human. 

One thing she did seem to notice was that all the machines here had a green glow to their eyes instead of the typical red ones that the more violent ones possessed. It soothed her worries and she let her guard fall completely, even going so far as to wave and smile to the tiny machines that hid behind a wooden shack to gaze at her. 

“I’m surprised you wished to speak with me personally. Whatever is the matter?” Pascal asked them as they approached. 

“It’ll be faster if you just take a look at this recording,” said 9S who looked expectantly to 2B. 

At 2B’s command, her pod began flashing images of the old forest castle they were in. The next thing she saw forced Seven to hold in her gasp. 

It was a recording of A2. 

In the scenes, it showed 2B forcing her sword along the other android’s arm and she remembered healing that very cut. Her mouth suddenly became dry. Had the three of them fought? And what was it over? Until she could figure out how to feel about this, her lips would remain shut. 

Once the playback ended, Pascal nodded. “..I see. Information about this A2 android is indeed contained within our archives. We all understand her to be rather dangerous.”

_ ‘Dangerous’? _ Seven couldn’t believe it. Sure, she was a bit hostile and anti-social, but A2 didn’t seem dangerous. At least not to her. 

“However, she’s never visited our village in person. My apologies. That’s all the information I have.” 

“I see.. Alright, thanks.” The disappointment was evident in 9S’ voice. 

“Let’s stay sharp and head back to the Resistance camp,” 2B instructed. “We should run a check on our consciousness data and resupply.”

Involuntarily, Seven’s stomach rumbled loudly and she immediately placed her hands over it as if to try and hush the noise. Her cheeks flushed red in light of her embarrassing situation and she set her pack down to try and rummage for food. Sadly though, she only packed a handful of grains that would serve more as a snack than a full-blown meal. Still, she would have to learn to survive on these types of things if she wanted to live in this brand new world. 

One of the machines who were hiding behind the shack stepped out carefully, marching over in small increments with something hidden behind its back. When it stopped at Seven’s feet, it relinquished the item it was hiding- revealing a bright, red apple in its possession. 

“Is this for me?” She asked and the machine’s head bobbed up and down. “Thank you.” Taking a bite, she was surprised at how juicy it tasted and just how sweet. 

Pascal studied her, his mechanical eyes never leaving her as she continued to eat. “Are you perhaps a newer model?”

“No, not exactly,” 9S wasn’t completely sure on how to continue. Should he tell Pascal the truth? Or continue this lie? Honestly speaking, the scanner thought it was safe to alert the machine leader of Seven’s true nature. 

“Is it alright if we leave her with you?” 2B asked Pascal. “We’ll run to the Resistance camp and head back once our own needs are satisfied. It shouldn’t be long.”

“Of course,” Pascal responded. “It’d be my pleasure.” 

“Let’s go, 9S.” 2B descended down a ladder and 9S came closer to Seven. 

“We’ll be back as soon as possible. You’ll be safe here, Pascal’s village is really secure,” he told her and she nodded, waving bye to 9S and watched the two androids dash across the wooden bridges as fast as they could. Seven sat on the ledge of the platforms surrounding the trees as their black-clad bodies disappeared behind the abundant foliage. 

Suddenly, she wasn’t so hungry anymore.

*******

“2B.”

“Hm?”

“You were being mean to Seven again.”

“I don’t see how my way of treating her has anything to do with my ability to protect her.”

“You say that now, but I know you. You don’t like being that way, right?” 

“Personal attachments are ill-advised… It would be bad if she grew attached to anything here. It would prevent her eager return to those of her own kind.”

“Aha! I knew you felt bad!”

Pod 042 beeped. “Proposal: Find a gift for the human ‘Seven’ to arrange a bond.”

“Gifts are such a useless ritual,” 2B chided. 

“ _ Wow _ , okay. Where did  _ that  _ come from?”

“It’s rude to give a person something without their permission. What if they don’t want it?”

“Hmm. I think it’s more about the feeling behind it than the actual item, right?” 

“Feelings are prohibited.”

9S groaned. “Yeah, yeah..”

“One affirmation will suffice.”

“Oh, for the love of-  _ fine _ . _Yeah_.”

As the two of them waded past the knee-high pond that was in front of the Resistance camp, 9S stopped when he spotted a tiny wildflower between wet blades of grass. “Hey, why don’t we get Seven a flower? I’m sure she’ll love it. If she wears it, it’ll make her look cuter, don’t you think?”

2B glanced at him behind her shoulder. “You think she’s ‘cute’?”

“Well, yeah. Us androids are modeled after humans, aren’t we? Why wouldn’t I think she’s cute? You think so too, right?”

2B didn’t answer and entered the Resistance camp with 9S catching up after inspecting the wildflower some more. Upon arrival, Devola spotted them and stood up from her seat to march right over. “Where’s Seven?”

“We left her with the machines in their village,” 2B said with her ever present diplomacy and tact. 

“What-?! Why would you do that?!” 

Popola overheard her sister’s voice and dropped what she was doing to try and soothe Devola; while 9S stood beside just in case 2B wanted to make another offhand comment that could lead to a fight. Even if he knew none of the Resistance members could stand up to 2B- he sure didn’t want command to be tanning his hide for this.

“I can’t believe you. You’re supposed to keep her safe!” Devola continued. “If you were just going to leave her with machines, you might as well leave her with us!”

“We had good reason to. The forest provides camouflage to effectively hide someone like her. Even still, her stay at the village is a temporary one.”

“You’re really something,” Devola grimaced and relaxed into her sister’s grip. 

During the commotion they caused, the Resistance leader, Anemone, apprehended them with a serious look in her eyes. Covered with a hooded cape similar to Seven’s, she greeted the twins before giving the YoRHa androids her full attention. “Your timing’s impeccable, 2B. Our android forces currently have a carrier deployed in the Pacific Ocean. It should be back here to resupply before too long.” She eyed the twins, “The Resistance is assisting with the mission, maybe it was better that Seven found somewhere else to stay safe for now.” 

“Is that so?” Popola murmured, averting her eyes from the leader’s. 

Anemone faced 2B. “So I’d like to ask you to run a little guard duty.”

2B was displeased. “Seriously?”

“Dead serious,” Anemone crossed her arms, “there’s a stockpile of missiles down at the shoreline that needs to be loaded on the carrier. And with all the machine activity lately, we need to stay on our toes.”

“What could the machines possibly want with missiles? Don’t they have enough firepower of their own?” 9S mumbled aloud. When he saw Popola’s eyes pan up into the sky, he looked in the same direction and saw what she was looking at: the moon.

“Of course, if you’re already working on something for YoRHa, I don’t mind if that takes priority,” Anemone continued. 

“No, I’ll make sure it gets done.” 9S saw that 2B was staring at the moon as well. Her eyes fixed on the pale celestial body that hung just outside of the Earth’s orbit, translucent, beautiful, and out of their reach. “I’ll see to it that the machines won’t be able to get those missiles.”

*******

“This is Seven speaking..” she held the recorder to her lips. “I’m in a village with machines. But they’re all friendly so it’s fine.” She sighed, “2B and I got into another argument. I wish she and I would get along more, but maybe our personalities just don’t fit. Maybe if I got her a gift..?” Her finger hit the stop button and she leaned against the wide trunk of the tree, watching the sunlight filter through the leaves to make irregularly-shaped shadows on the wooden planks in front of her. 

2B didn’t even seem the type to enjoy a gift. 

Something beeping caught her attention and she saw the machine from earlier with something else behind its back. 

“Hi there,” Seven smiled, “whatcha got behind your back?”

The machine came closer, pulling out a book for her to read. It was poorly kept, with the spine just ready to burst if it was mistreated much longer. Opening it, she saw it was a picture book with many human children playing in a circle and flying a kite. The next few pages just illustrated the children making shapes out of stars, or constructing flower wreaths from the nearby meadow; it was a lovely reminder of what humans like to do for fun. 

A metallic finger pointed at the pictures and she saw the machine was sitting next to her now. “You want me to read this to you?” She asked and the machine nodded. “Alright.” Even if she wanted to read, there was a slight problem present. None of the pages had words on them- legible ones at least. “How about we do this instead?” Reaching above her head, she snapped one of the twigs off the trunk and pulled out a canister of water and a piece of charcoal she found in the forest cave. 

The machine watched as she combined a 1:1 ratio of water and mashed charcoal into a makeshift cup; mixing it together with the twig until the solution became thicker and rich with color. Dipping the twig into the mixture, she wrote: This book belongs to- “What’s your name?” she asked the machine. 

It flipped to the very front of the book and pointed at the only thing that was still legible on the hardcover. “Rosco,” she read aloud, seeing that there was supposed to be a title along with the rest of the name. There was also a boy painted on the cover. His cheeks were chubby and he wore a striped shirt with overalls. 

“Alright,” she finished the label inside the book. “This book belongs to.. Rosco the Machine.” Holding it up for the machine to see, it began to spread its hands apart and pull them back together- trying to clap, but only making an awkward metallic noise. 

“What’s your name?” a boyish voice erupted from the machine, catching her off guard at how suddenly he decided to speak.

Flipping to the front of the book again, she wrote her true name in neat script at the top; beside it was the number seven written in Roman numerals. “This is my real name-” she tapped her finger along the first set of words then to the numerals, “-but you can call me by this. It means ‘Seven’.”

“Sev-en.” Rosco nodded. “Will you come play with us?”

“Sure,” she grinned. “Why not?”

“There you are, I was looking for you.” Pascal appeared with a line of small machines hopping behind him. “There was something I’d like to speak to you about.” When he saw Rosco drawing in the book with the newly acquired ink, he seemed delighted. “You got Rosco to talk to you. That’s an impressive feat. He’s usually so shy.” 

“Look, Uncle Pascal,” Rosco held up the book to show the words he wrote. It looked like absolute chicken-scratch, but the words ‘Uncle’ and ‘Pascal’ were clearly visible, if one stared at it long enough. 

“Wow! That looks fantastic, Rosco. You write very well. I see you’ve been studying the alphabet, haven’t you?” 

Rosco nodded and plopped back down next to Seven and began writing again. The other machines that tailed behind Pascal all ran past his legs to see the newly illustrated book. 

“I want to write my name!”

“Me too!”

“Go ahead, children. Write your names in the book. Uncle Pascal needs to talk to Seven alone right now, alright?”

Rosco seemed to wait on Seven for instructions on what to do and she patted his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll come find you later after we talk. Go show the other kids how to write their names.” It was strange. She didn’t feel weird about calling the machines ‘kids’. Their inherent behavior just reminded her so much of human children. Rosco packed up his book and carried the other things on his head as the others followed him to play with their newfound tools; while Pascal motioned for her to follow him to somewhere more private. 

Once he was sure no other machine could hear them, he decided to be upfront. “Seven, you’re a human, aren’t you?”

Seven was stunned at his straight-forwardness and merely blinked at the machine. There was no right way to respond to this as far as she was concerned. 

“It’s alright,” Pascal seemed to pick up on her fear. “I won’t tell anyone I know. Not even 2B or 9S.”

“...How did you know?” 

“When your stomach grumbled earlier,” he admitted. “I assumed that perhaps the androids were keen on mimicking humanity further and installing more humane features into their newer models.. Then I realized that implementation would be more inconvenient than anything.” 

“Ah, I see.” Her hand rested on her stomach, “You’re a sharp one, Pascal.”

“It’s nothing to be praised over,” despite his words, Pascal seemed pleased at the compliment. “The only other question I have is what a human would be doing down here? Hostile machine lifeforms make it impossible to inhabit this place.” 

“I can’t answer that, because I don’t know.” Her own arrival here was something that puzzled her greatly, and has been on her mind since she got here. A grumbling noise came out of her again and she reminded herself to find something to eat later. It was fortunate that her mom taught her to eat a diet of primarily greens and fruit her whole life, because she sure would be starving at the lack of reliable sources of meat around here. 

“The others in this village, including myself, have severed our ties to the Machine Network. So we wouldn’t have any information on how you could’ve got here. My apologies.”

“It’s alright. But what _is_ the ‘Machine Network’? Just how important is it?”

“Think of the machines as like a hive mind. Whatever information we gather around the world and from old databases, we upload into our shared server so that we may adapt and grow. It also serves as a sort of backup, should anything unfortunate befall us. When I was still attached to the Network, I remember our old records we had on humans; that’s what helped me find out what you were.”

Seven took in this information bit by bit. “So, if anyone in your village dies..?”

“Whatever makes us  _ us _ will also die. Our personality, our feelings, our memories, they won’t be saved anywhere and it can’t be recovered.”

She let out a small laugh. “You know, that sounds almost human.” 

“Is that so?” Pascal thought about this. “That makes me happy to hear.” Something else must’ve caught his attention, as Pascal suddenly looked to the north. It was followed by the ground shaking and Seven almost losing her footing until Pascal steadied her by her arm. 

“What was that?” She dusted herself off and reestablished her balance. 

“Seven, would you watch the children for me?”

“Uh, sure, but what’s going on?”

“Nothing, please don’t worry about it.” The jetpack on his back began firing up and he hovered over the ground. “One more thing: though we are a village keen on pacifism, take heed that some other machines won’t be the same. Be careful, Seven.” With that, he took off in the direction of the noise and left her alone in the village. 

*******

“2B!” 9S raised his hand, forming a shield around the two of them as the goliath-class machine released wave after wave of EMP fields, hitting them and knocking down all the other YoRHa flight units from the sky and sending them crashing into the ocean. 9S gritted his teeth, feeling the intensity of the waves even behind his erected barrier. The hand that he held out began to feel numb, but he kept it up all the same. “We gotta bail, 2B! This is bad!” 

The two of them began making a run for their flight units just as the machine raised one of his colossal limbs into the air and sent it down on the missile launcher beside them. Just as they reached their flight units, 2B and 9S were launched backwards and out of control. Though they regained their balance and were supported by something holding them up by their mechanical wings. Looking up, they saw Pascal helping them regain their orientation. 

“Are you alright, 2B?” Pascal sounded worried. When the machine saw that the two androids were indeed alright, he let go and they floated freely, facing the goliath in the water. It stood on two feet that was at least 1,000 meters above the sea floor and its footsteps were felt even as far as the distant shoreline. Four gangly arms sprouted from its hulking body, with red eyes set in its head like a spider’s. “That enormous machine is an ancient weapon. It was designed to help annihilate the androids, but it wound up going out of control.”

They were routed by smaller machines, to which 2B responded in streams of energy beams to wipe them out. She was expecting a short mission entailing simple guard duty.. Not this. Thoughts of Seven floated in and out her mind, something that she was forced to push out of the way. If she got distracted now, everyone on land behind them would be wiped out. She had to finish this here. 

“I was part of the machines’ network when it happened, so I remember it. The moment it reached land, it went berserk and began attacking everything in sight. No one could figure out how to stop it. We eventually marooned it deep in the ocean, but it seems to be searching for a way back," Pascal paused. “..Huh.”

9S assisted 2B with getting rid of the seemingly endless machines that flooded them. “Hey, 2B! I think I have another idea!” his voice was barely audible over the endless waves of machine and android-based attacks. “You keep that thing right where it is, okay!?”

“What?” 

“Please, 2B! This is gonna work!” Without another word, 9S flight unit zoomed off in the distance and left Pascal to assist 2B alone. The latter had no choice but to keep fighting the machines. 

Pod 042 beeped. “9S is leaving the front lines. Proposal: 9S should be reported to Command as a deserter.”

“No!” 2B shouted over the launching missiles. “He has a plan. Just hold on!”

Her pod pinged again and she could hear 9S voice.  _ “2B! I’m going to see if we can use those missiles back on the shore. But I need you to destroy the EMP unit on that thing’s back. Otherwise they’re just going to go off course.” _

“On it.” Pascal followed 2B as she flew over the goliath’s back, searching for the large unit that rested there along the middle like large, rotating screws that spun around and emitted enough deadly frequencies to completely disarm any android. Dodging the other machine’s attacks while focusing on targeting her own proved to be a bit challenging, but she pressed on with complete faith in 9S' plan. 

There was no way in hell would she let this damned machine reach the shore. 

Sets of large, glowing orbs were sitting on the machine’s back and its large circumference made it easy for her to spot. All of her ranged attacks focused on them, knocking them out one-by-one until she wiped out the last EMP unit available. They all exploded in a cloud of electricity and smoke, sending 2B back with each blast. Once the last one was discarded of, something long zoomed out of the clouds and landed right in the machine’s gaping mouth; sending its large head flailing backwards as it swallowed the missile whole. 

Sparks began imploding from within its body in scattered points, until a large wave of energy was released from its dying form and blinded 2B. 

The impending blast zone expanded, sending 2B and Pascal flying back as their bodies absorbed the energy waves in full. 2B grunted in pain, feeling her sensory detectors go haywire on her limbs as her consciousness faded into nothing. 

*******

In the Bunker, the screen glitched out, making the mission scene impossible to observe. “S-signal lost..” one of the operators needlessly announced. 

The Commander wasted no time. “Organize a search-and-rescue party for the missing YoRHa members at once!” Once the command was issued, the sound of keyboards typing away and calls being made filled the station. Commander White was filled with anxiety as she saw the ‘signal lost’ signs right next to 2B and 9S’ designations. Though despite her inner turmoil, she remained calm and collected. 

“2B… 9S… Don’t die on me…”

*******

A large machine sat next to Seven, officially classified as a ‘medium bi-ped’ by the androids. On her rounded head was a large pink bow that truly gave the machine a nice pop of color. When she told her this, the machine seemed to be ecstatic. 

“What are you making?” the one with the pink bow asked her. Seven resorted to calling her ‘Pinkie’. Standing at about 7 feet tall, the machine towered over her despite being sat down on her hind. 

“I’m making a present,” Seven notified her, wrapping the ribbon together until they formed the shape of a bow. Once she pinned it together, she set it aside the others that had ‘gift tags’ on them. The two light green ones with a blue heart pinned in the middle was for Devola and Popola; the dark grey with a yellow star was for 9S; a plain black one with the Roman numeral II stitched into it was for A2; and though despite assuming 2B wouldn’t want a gift, especially from her, she still crafted one just in case. It was constructed with blue silk, and she attached a white rose-shaped pin in the middle. 

“Can I have one?” Pinkie asked her. 

“But you already have one,” Seven pointed to her head. “A really pretty pink one.”

“But I want you to make me one!”

“Alright,” she relented. “Ask your sister if she has more materials, then I’ll make you one to wrap around your wrist, cool?”

“Cool!” Pinkie got up and ran to her sister. Her sister was what was deemed a ‘stubby’ machine. It was funny to see their size differences, and Pinkie claimed that the stubby was her older sister. Seven called that one ‘Blue’, in honor of the blue ribbon the older machine wore on her head in similar fashion to Pinkie. 

While Pinkie left to acquire more supplies, Seven looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. In her mind, she’d been counting the minutes since Pascal, 2B, and 9S left. There was no watch nearby, nor anything she could use as a timepiece- only her mind served as her internal clock. Unfortunately, it had its limits, and she lost track of time at somewhere around 120 minutes. 

She was pretty sure that more than 2 hours had passed though, and she was getting concerned. 

Then, through the opening of the canopy above, she saw something zooming past with black smoke billowing out of the tail. She squinted and stood up, trying to make out what she just saw. 

As Pinkie came back, she dropped the other materials on the ground next to her and pointed at the sky where a trail of smoke lingered. “Look! It’s that boy that comes by our village!”

“What boy?”

“You know- the one who’s always with that grumpy lady with the sword on her back?” 

Seven gulped, “I need to go see if he’s okay. Stay in the village with your sister!” Running past her, she glided down the wooden ramps and made her way out the village, hearing the other machines protest her actions. Even if she knew the dangers that lay beyond the forest sanctuary, she still had to make sure 9S was okay. 

Past the edges of the forest was the gaping canyon that led towards the old mall. In the distance she could see the bridge sway dangerously over the gap and was thankful she wouldn’t have to cross that thing again. Running to a rusty old cell tower that blocked her entrance to the city, she crawled through the gaps to try and get through.

There was nothing else to aid her search for the android except for the trail in the sky, and so she had her eyes fixated upwards to try and follow the line. Soon, that line descended towards the foot of a decrepit building in what used to be the business district. 

Lying amongst a pile of rubble, she saw something large stick out through the rocks that formed something that seemed to be made for flight. In the middle of the contraption was 9S. His right arm was injured and crushed and parts of his face were scratched up, revealing the metal lying just beneath. 

“Nines!” She shouted, running over to begin pulling the rocks off of his flight unit. “Hey- you awake?!”

“Mmmgh..” 9S mumbled something just as some of his visible circuits began lighting up. 

“It’s alright, we’ll get you somewhere safe." Picking up a thick branch, she used it as leverage to pluck the heavier rocks off of his leg. “Just stay with me.”

“Sev-en..” his words were slurred. “Seven, get..out of here..!”

“I’m not leaving you, just let me get this thing off..!”

“Hey, what’s this?” 

A male’s voice said behind her and she froze. At the sound of it, 9S began struggling against his bonds too. 

Turning around slowly, she soon saw a young man standing behind her. She would’ve assumed he was human, if it weren’t for the red eyes and unnaturally colored silver hair. He didn’t wear a shirt, and the only thing he had on were black scaled pants and gloves. 

“Seven,” 9S panted, struggling more. “Run! Leave me here!” 

“I was going to pick off every android I find,” the young man tilted his head. “But what are you? You don’t seem like one of them.” 

9S broke free of his flight unit, stepping in front of Seven with an arm extended over her. “You.. You’re Eve, right?” he spoke, with his words still seemingly slowed. 

“You remembered me,” said Eve. “How nice of you.” He saw how 9S used his body as a shield for the one standing behind him and he found this curious. “Hey, why are you so protective of this one?” 

“Seven. Run.” Pushing her away, 9S hurled his sword at Eve- but it was a sloppy attempt. Eve easily caught the blade, twisting it around and pinning it down on 9S’ arm. After knocking him down, he kicked the android and 9S cried out in pain as his arm was ripped off and flung to the side. 

“Nines!!” Seven screamed as she stopped in her tracks. Every part of her instinct told her to go help her friend, but what good would she be here? As far as this new world was concerned, she was the on the most bottom-rung ladder of the food chain. 

“RUN!!!” 9S shouted with all of his remaining strength and encouraged her to flee. Seven did so, turning tail and running as fast as she could; even if her throat was burning and sweat dripped into her eyes. 

Suddenly, she was stopped in her tracks and she felt the back of her neck being grabbed. Soon after, her body was thrown against a wall and she sat up, coughing as the air was knocked out from her lungs. She gasped, holding her throat as her hood slipped off and revealed her face. A shadow came over her and she looked up to see Eve crouch down and pick her up by the front of her neck this time.  Choking on the immense pressure that forcefully stopped her oxygen supply, she felt her toes and fingers go numb along with multi-colored stars that flitted across her vision. 

The harder Eve squeezed, though, the more he felt something pulse between his fingers and stopped. Dropping her again, she coughed and wheezed and tried to inch away from him until he clamped down a hand on her ankle. “If you don’t stop moving, I’ll break your leg,” he told her and she instantly froze. Reaching over to feel her neck again, he pressed his fingers against her flesh and immediately noticed how soft she felt. She wasn't solid or hard like the other machines or androids. Through the softness, he felt that same rhythmic thump against his fingers and realized why 9S wanted to protect her so bad. 

A satisfied smile overcame his features as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. “My brother will be happy to see  _ you _ .” 


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For personal reasons, I took a break. Sorry guys, I really needed it.

2B pushed herself off the gravel, feeling her sensory ends going numb and sending signals of pain around her body. She reached up and felt for her blindfold first then made sure every other part of her was still intact. _Yes_. A quick glance down had confirmed so. Standing up slowly, she still felt the aftermath of the EMP blast shake her core but soon steadied herself with the discipline of a hardened soldier. 

In the distance she saw the giant machine standing with its knees above the water and the rest of its body firm against the soft waves. Smoke rose from the cracks in its metal limbs and its mouth still hung agape. Before, she only saw the mouth as another sort of monster just before they devoured its prey; but now she saw that the mouth was downturned in a wail that would forever be plastered onto its face. 

Pod 042 hovered beside her and she was grateful that she didn’t wake up completely alone. “2B to Bunker, come in. Over.” 

The response was almost immediate. _“Operator to...2B!? 2B, are you alright?!”_

“Running system diagnostics… Core functionality appears intact.”

_“Thank goodness!”_

“Never mind that- I need a status report.”

_“Roger that. In regards to the giant machine that attacked the shore, it ceased its resistance eight hours ago following your missile strike.”_

2B took a moment to process this. “Eight...hours?”

_“However, its EMP strikes knocked out comms all across the region. We’re having trouble getting them back online. Which means data uploading is currently unavailable in some areas.”_

“Where’s 9S?”

Operator 6O glanced down nervously. _“Umm..yeah. About that. We picked up a faint black box reading, but it wasn’t strong enough to lock down his position.”_

“If you found something, that means he must be alive. Put in a request to the Commander for immediate approval to begin a search.”

_“Actually, the Commander has already ordered us to prioritize tracking down surviving YoRHa members. If you find 9S...let me know. Okay?”_

She had already begun running back towards the pipe leading to the ruined city. “Will do. 2B out.”

Though she tried to end the call, Operator 6O was still there and 2B waited for her to stop fidgeting before speaking. _“2B.. Aren’t you going to ask about Seven?”_

“..What do you mean?”

_“It’s just that before we lost 9S’ signal, we got an encrypted message.”_

“Was it from 9S?”

_“We don’t know. It was sent from an anonymous source, none of us figured out where yet. But when we deemed it safe to open, it was just a whole bunch of 7’s and the word ‘help’. Given the time frame of 9S’ signal going dark…it doesn’t make me feel good. If my suspicions are right 2B, 9S might’ve been the last person to see her alive.”_

2B felt a strange weight form in her stomach and knots tie up her head. She gripped her fist until the cloth felt like it might snap from being stretched too much. “I’ll find 9S. Keep me updated on whatever you find on Seven. 2B out.”

*******

Seven awoke to an unpleasant brightness. Her eyes slowly blinked to adjust to the stark white of her room. As she sat up, she felt the clothed sheets she lay on and wiped at her eyes. Moving her legs, she noticed she could feel the cloth sliding against her skin with no buffer and looked down to see that she wore no pants. Immediately, her hands flew to her torso and felt silken material cover her there. Slipping off the bed, she took a moment to study the room she was in and saw only white floors and white walls. 

Running a finger through her hair told her of the soft nature of her tresses, like it’d been combed throughout. On her neck was a white ribbon tied neatly with the strands dangling atop her breasts; but behind the silk leash was an aching bruise that would no doubt be a dark splotch against her skin. The dress she wore was white, going down to her knees with the elbow-length sleeves flaring out in a bell-bottom fashion; there was a feeling of air lying on her back and she reached behind to confirm that it revealed a large portion of her backside in a v-shape line. At the foot of the bed were white heels and she slipped into them, surprised at how well they fitted her much like the dress. As if the whole outfit she had on was custom tailored just for her.

Her hand hovered over the door to exit and she took a deep breath before exiting. Where she expected to see a kitchen or living room or something that you would see right when you exit a bedroom- she instead saw a large plaza made of the same blinding white material as inside her room. 

The buildings were white, the ground was white, even the sky was white.

It almost made her feel sick at how inorganic it looked, though despite that, she saw how the buildings represented architecture she would see in pictures of Paris or Italy or Prague. Whoever built this place clearly loved human culture, or at least mimicking it. 

“Do you like it?” 

A voice made her twirl around and she almost found herself slipping over the heels. She never owned something as nice as this before, it would be some while before she got used to walking around in it. 

In front of her was Eve- no. This one looked different, though he shared his face and body with Eve. His silver hair was long, one side tucked behind his ear. He had black, square-framed glasses, a black ribbon tying together the lapel of his white dress-shirt, and black suit pants that fitted his legs comfortably. 

“Let me introduce myself,” he bowed, flourishing his hand up while the other hovered over his chest. “My name is Adam.” 

“Seven..” she replied, trying to remain composed. 

“Interesting, though I suspect that’s not your true name, is it?” 

She nodded, “Seven is what my friends call me.” 

“I see. Then I’ll make sure to use it with great care.” He stepped towards her and she took one back, feeling something blocking her way. One look behind her revealed a long, white table with two chairs on either side of it. There was one lone chair scooted up close to the farther right, giving her an idea of where she would be assigned. When she looked back, she saw Adam now standing directly in front of her. “Won’t you take a seat? You must be famished.”

He took her by the hand and she didn’t miss how gently he did so, yet if she made the smallest move of pulling away- his grip was solid iron. Pulling out a seat for her, he motioned for her to take it and so she did. Once she was situated down at the table; he took one himself, sitting at the head with her at his right side.

“I noticed you have a scar on your chest. The coloring and stitches are evidence that it’s relatively new. Where did you acquire it?” 

She played with her thumbs underneath the table, noticing how Adam’s eyes practically bore a hole right through her soul with how intensely he was staring at her. “I woke up here. And, well, I got attacked-“

“By a machine?”

“By an android,” she corrected him. 

“We’re more alike than I initially thought,” he leaned back in his chair with his eyes still not leaving her. As if she were the most fascinating thing in this room. “When I first came into this world, I, too, was attacked by an android. Two, in fact. You may know them as 2B and 9S.”

It was hard to hide the shock on her face and she tried to remain still even as Adam smiled at her trying to readjust herself in her seat. “My first encounter, my first experience,” he continued, “was violence. They attacked me even though I initially denied them a provocation. The same was true for you.”

Instinctively, her hand flew up to her chest, feeling the scar tissue there as she remembered 2B didn’t even give her a chance to explain herself. “Maybe. But they didn’t know better.” Who was she trying to convince with that? Herself? She silently wished 2B had allowed her to explain her standing first. 

“You deny that they have a violent nature?”

“Everyone can change. That’s just a part of nature.”

Adam happened to be stumped by her answer. He then grabbed her hand and held up two fingers across her wrist, feeling the subtle heartbeat that thumped beneath her skin. After feeling for what kept her alive, he forced her hand to press up against his chest and she felt what she expected to feel- nothing. 

Only the soft fabric of his shirt and hardened mass underneath it were the only things tangible. There was no heartbeat, nor any other indication that this man in front of her was alive. 

“I’ve no heartbeat like yours,” he admitted, though that fact was already known from the start. “How interesting.. Your heart functions as a machine core does for us. Yet once it dies-“ a sick grin crossed his face, “-it’s not so easily replaced.”

Pascal’s words flooded her mind. “I don’t think so,” she blurted out. “You lose what makes you _you._ Even if you replace your machine core-“ she winced when he gripped her tighter, “you can’t regain the memories you’ve experienced.” 

Adam released her wrist slowly and sat back in his chair, seemingly satiated on questions for now. “You must be hungry.” He slid forth a silver platter. “Here.”

In this white landscape, the only color that seemed to be present was the orb of red that sat on the plate in front of her. A juicy, red apple rolled on the plate and was so polished that she could see her reflection. Just as she conjectured from earlier, her face had indeed been cleaned and she could see no dirt marks on her cheeks. Taking the apple in her hands, she felt the cold surface that fogged up as her breath hit it while taking a bite. With her teeth digging through the thin layer of skin, she immediately tasted the overflowing juices that rolled down her tongue and she soon found herself greedily sucking it up. 

Sugar was something she seldom had the pleasure of eating back at home and of course at the Resistance camp as well. So she found this abundance of fructose to be a welcome treat. 

Midway, she stopped. Fear of possible poisoning halted her appetite and she glanced up to look for a tell that her suspicions were correct. Instead, she only saw Adam gazing at her, almost lovingly. Almost. His eyes were as red as the apple, maybe even more intense. Perhaps it was only the way that he never looked at anything else besides her that made her think that. 

“How does it taste?”

“It’s good.” She finally swallowed. 

“Tell me,” he leaned forward, his hand reaching again, “does it taste sweeter on your tongue?” A finger traced up from her chin to the corner of her lips and she felt the trail of liquid pool and gather onto the leather. He then took his hand and stuck the finger in between his own lips. “Or do we taste the same thing?”

“What do you want?” she blurted out and immediately regretted doing so. 

“What do I want?” Adam got up from his chair, stalking towards her. “What I want is knowledge. I want to know anything, and everything.” His fingers curled over the ears of her chair, like a snake coiling up just before they struck. “I want to know what goes through your head, my dear human.” 

She had enough and stood up only to be grabbed from behind and slammed down onto the table. “I want to know what makes you scared.“ Adam continued as he held her down. “What makes your heart race, what makes you fearful, what makes you-“ his knee drove a wedge between her legs and rode upwards until she let out a quiet gasp, “-lustful.” He saw her reaction and smiled, “Tell me, what drives humans to procreate? Is it the same as us machines? Tell me everything and, please, when you answer, keep it interesting. Else I’ll be forced to find a replacement for you.”

He traced her chin. “Maybe once I peruse your organs, I can glean what makes you humans so _arbitrary._ ” 

Seven grabbed onto his wrist, keeping her eyes locked with his as she found the words to say. “You can do that, but you’ll never find out what I think. You’ll lose your chance to get a firsthand account on how humans function.”

“Once I learn how to gain access to the moon, procuring another human won’t be a problem.”

“Actually, yes it will.” She did her best to swallow underneath the pressure of his hand. “YoRHa have top-of-the-line security watching over the moon. Machines wouldn’t be able to reach even a mile within the colony without getting blasted out of the stratosphere. Even _if_ they manage to infiltrate and take another human- a few more hundred years will have already passed.”

“Time means nothing to me. I can wait as long as it takes.”

“You sure about that?” She gasped for air. “In the time you’ve spent waiting, you could’ve already known by now. If you keep me alive, you’ll have everything you want. You already saved yourself a step by having me here instead of traveling to the moon and back. Who knows if the human you take would even survive the trip??” 

“You did, did you not?”

“I already told you,” she bit back an insult, “I don’t know how I got here. I just did.”

Adam thought over her argument and relinquished her throat, allowing stale air to fill her lungs once again. “Very well. I shall keep you alive for the time being.” 

A hand massaged her throat and she watched him take his leave, going back to his position at the head of the table. That whole event was much more excitement than she ever experienced in her life, and something told her that it was to be her new normal. There was that other problem that she thought about: her bold statement that she revealed to Adam the machine. 

She didn’t know if he believed her or not. But she was just happy that Adam hasn’t found out that a heartbeat can race when telling a lie. 

*******

When 2B ran into the Resistance camp, she made a beeline towards Anemone. “I’m looking for something called a dynamic scanner that can detect black-box signals.”

Anemone raised a brow. “A dynamic…? Oh, you must mean the one the twins built.”

2B then made another line for Devola and Popola with the former stopping what she was doing as soon as she saw the android. “How did the mission go?” the redhead asked. 

“9S is reported missing-”

Popola intertwined her fingers together. “Oh no, is he-”

“-and Seven might also be missing.”

“What!?” Devola stood up. “How do you-”

“I need a dynamic scanner to find 9S. He might’ve been the last person to see her.” 2B’s tone was cutting and commanding and prompted Devola to glare at her with more scorn. “The faster you hand it over, the faster I can find 9S and Seven.” 

Devola’s green eyes flashed with contempt, reaching behind her on the shelf to grab a chip and hand it over. “I hope you know what you’re doing, YoRHa. If anything happens to Seven, I’ll-” Devola swallowed her words and sat back down to hang her head. 

2B’s finger wrapped over the chip in her palm and walked away. She didn’t say it aloud, but in her head she hoped she knew what she was doing as well. 

“Wait, 2B!” Popola ran to catch up with her. “If there’s anything we can do. Just let me know, please?”

She only nodded. 

*******

Pod 042 began letting out waves from its body as 2B ran all over the city. She looked under every nook and cranny, following the signal where it led her. It all seemed futile until her pod began vibrating the closer they got to a giant pile of rubble near the business district. 2B immediately followed the signal again and knelt down by the rocks. 

On the ground was a piece of metal that belonged to the same material YoRHa made their flight units out of. Hope began to fill her as she dug through the rocks and saw a piece of flesh colored metal sticking out from underneath even more debris. Picking up the metal and lifting it up, she saw the leg connect to a torso and then a head- revealing a very beaten 9S laying there. 

Pushing off the rest of the rocks, she picked up 9S and laid him in her arms. A very distinct black box signal emanated from him, but it was so faint that she had to try her hardest just to pick up on it. She removed his blindfold and at once, 9S slowly opened his eyes and drowsily blinked. 

“2..B..”

She let out a sigh of relief. “I’m here.”

“2B.. Seven..she.. I couldn’t..protect..”

“I know. Who took her?”

9S only had enough energy to say one word before falling into an unconscious sleep. But it was enough to send a feeling of overwhelming dread over her. 

“Eve.”

*******

“May I have my cloak back?” Seven asked Adam. 

Adam peered at her over the top of his book and cocked his head. “You want those ragged clothes the androids have given you? Do you not like the ones you have now?”

“No, I do.” She rubbed the cold material of her dress between her fingers. “This might be the nicest thing I’ve ever owned. But I just want my cloak back. It means a lot to me.” When he continued to look at her, she explained. “You can call it sentimentality.”

“The idea of sentimentality reaches out to inanimate objects?” 

“It can, if the object was given to you by someone special to you.” Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to reveal that the cloak was special to her, but it’s not as if he would know exactly who gave it to her. Despite this, she thought of the twin androids and hoped they were alright. 

“Very well.” Adam set his book down completely. “You’ll have it back. I’m curious though, if you were to give me something, should I be sentimental about it?”

“No, because I’m not special to you and neither are you to me.” _Shit_. Should she have talked back so casually like that? Did this machine even understand the concept of talking back? 

“What constitutes being ‘special’?”

“You make a bond with that person. You should already know, you have your brother, don’t you?”

“..Should I be?” He muttered under his breath and it took her a few moments to realize that he was asking himself this and not her. 

“Brother.” _Speak of the devil._ Eve walked in on them and when he saw her sitting right next to Adam, a loathing expression crossed his face. “You.”

“No need to be so hostile, Eve. She has a name.”

Eve ignored that. “You promised me we would play. Can we go now?”

“And we will. After we search the coast for YoRHa survivors.” Adam pushed up from his seat and stopped, turning to her. “Coming?”

“Me? Why?”

“Well we can’t just leave you behind, can we?” The thought was nice, but she knew the real reason. If he left her here, it would give her time to figure out how to escape or escape altogether. 

“Do we have to?” Eve was disgruntled. 

“Of course,” said Adam before gazing at her. “You won’t run, right?” 

“Even if I did, I assume you two would just catch up to me.”

Eve gave her a once over and was thoroughly unimpressed. “Or I could break both of your legs. That way we know for sure.”

This made her take a step back as Adam raised a hand to bar her from him. “Now now, Eve. What did I say about being rude to guests?” He walked over to her and cradled her face, treating her as if she were a delicate doll. “This guest is very special to _us_ , right?”

“...Right.” Eve was disheartened. “But what if she slows us down?”

“Then carry her on your back.”

Whatever Adam’s word was, was also Eve’s bond, and the latter did as he was told without question. Kneeling on the floor, he looked over his shoulder at her. “Well?” It prompted her to hop onto his back, sliding her legs through the loops of his arms and wrapping them around his waist. “You’re gonna fall off if you hang on like that.” Reluctantly, she circled his neck with her arms and hung on tightly. The last time she saw Eve, he threatened to choke her out; but now she was riding piggyback and she felt like this was all a fever dream and she was actually knocked out somewhere beside 9S. 

“You’re warm..” he muttered as he stood back up. 

“Am I too heavy?” she asked. 

He scoffed. “You? I can barely feel you on my back.” It initially sounded like a compliment, but coming from him it sounded more as an insult. 

“Let’s get going.” Adam rushed them along and they both walked down the streets of the mimicked city. The older machine followed just behind, his thoughts going over to the last of what she said. “Sentiment..” he tasted the word on his tongue, speaking barely over a whisper so the other two didn’t hear. “How interesting.”

*******

After leaving 9S in the care of the Bunker, 2B set off alone. Her first destination was the last place she had left Seven: at Pascal’s village.

There, she saw the machines gathering around Pascal as he assured everyone of them that he was completely alright. During the fight with the goliath-class machine, 2B last saw him flying off in an opposite direction. She would say that she was glad that he was alright, but her duty easily overrode her emotional response to seeing an ally safe and sound. 

“Ah, 2B! I’m glad to see you’re alive again.” Pascal, on the other hand, unashamedly displayed emotion. “Where is 9S?”

“With YoRHa members in the med bay. The number of survivors are low after that recent mission.”

“Oh, I..see. How unfortunate.” Pascal looked to the children, unsure of how to continue with their innocent ears within proximity of what would turn out to be a very grim conversation. “I assume you’re here because of Seven.”

“Yes. How did you..?”

One of the machines carried a backpack over its head with both arms, belonging to the very human in question. “She left this here when she went to find the other android, miss,” the small machine said and gave her a wide berth after leaving the backpack on the floor. 

“She also left these.” Pascal handed her a set of ribbons, each of them a different color and all containing a tag that hinted who the receiver was supposed to be. “One of them was for you.” 

2B saw the blue ribbon with the white rose-enameled pin in the middle. On the tag was a messy scrawl saying: ‘For 2B, from 7.” A part of her felt guilty. The whole time she’d been with Seven, she had only treated her with cold disdain; but despite that, Seven still made a gift for her. 

She vowed to repay the favor after she found her alive. 

“Pascal. If any of your machines see the lifeforms ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’, please notify me immediately.” 

“Of course, we’ll help any way we can,” Pascal responded as the children listened intently. 

One of them reached up and tugged the hem of 2B’s dress, forcing her to fight back the urge to slap it away. “Will Sev-en be alright, grumpy lady? I miss her. She was supposed to play with us again.” 

“Rosco!” Pascal reached forward to bring him away from her and scolded him softly. “It’s rude to touch people without their permission.”

“Oh.” Rosco’s green eyes dulled with embarrassment. “Sorry, grumpy lady.”

“I’m going now. If you see anything,” 2B repeated. “Let me know. Please.”

“Safe travels, 2B.”

The android swung the backpack over her shoulder, but kept the ribbons in her hand. She sorted through each one, seeing the ones made for 9S, Devola, Popola, and her. Each of them were crafted carefully with love and it only served to fill 2B with more resolve. Though she stopped when she made it to the last ribbon. A simple, black one with a tag that read: ‘For A2, from 7.’

2B stared at the label, thinking hard as to when it was possible that Seven met A2. The only thing that surprised her more was that A2 didn’t attack or harm Seven in any way if they did in fact meet face-to-face. Slipping the ribbons into the backpack, she headed into the city ruins. Behind her though, she didn’t see one of the machine children follow after.

*******

Seven observed the large machine sticking out of the water. It was taller than any building she had seen, with its mouth hanging agape and smoke pouring out of it as generously as the nearby waterfalls. As far as her eye could see, there were miles and miles of oceans stretching out into the horizon. Picking up one of the flat rocks, she skipped it over the water’s surface and counted three skips before it sank into the ocean. It was cold here and she was thankful she had her cloak back to protect her from the harsh elements. 

Eve was beside her, watching the stone drown. She picked up another stone and handed it to him. “Do..you wanna try?” She asked carefully. “It’s fun?”

To her surprise, he took the stone from her and turned it over in his hand. Copying her stance with one foot back and another to swing, he tossed it into the sea and she was in disbelief at just how far it skipped. Four..five..six.. 

Six skips in total before the ocean sank below the surface. Out of habit, she looked to see Eve’s reaction and saw a wide grin on his face. Whether it was satisfaction or excitement, he seemed to be happy about how far his rock had traveled. “It went twice the distance as yours. Man, humans really are weak things.”

At this point, she learned to take his comments off the chin. “Yeah, I guess we are.” 

“If you’re not strong, what good are you?” He asked and all joy was sucked out of her, replaced by aggravated irritation. Seven declined to comment and walked past him, but felt his hand wrap around her bicep and stop her from moving any further. “Hey. Don’t ignore me.”

“Let go of me, Eve,” she said carefully so as to not upset him further. When he squeezed her tighter, she frowned. “Adam won’t be too happy if you break my arm.” At the mention of his older sibling, the machine let go and she quickly ran over to the aforementioned. Despite the elder being much more sadistic than his counterpart, at least he had the sense to not hurt her.. Not immediately, at least. 

Adam was kicking over an android member, rolling them over so that he could see her face. Only a lifeless shake was the response and he clicked his tongue. “I see barely any of them made it past the EMP blast. How tragic.” With each YoRHa android he rolled over, she held her breath until she could confirm that they weren’t 2B. She hoped she was alive somehow, but if the android wasn’t here, it must mean that she was, right? 

_Or…_

Another thought came to mind when she glanced towards the ocean’s dark edges. Could 2B have fallen into the ocean..? _No._ She willed that thought away. 2B wouldn’t die from something like that. 

“It seems barely any of them survived,” Adam was genuinely disappointed. “I suppose this was the more merciful route.”

“Can we go now, brother?” Eve asked, thoroughly bored already. 

“Yes. Perhaps there’s more androids in the city.” 

Eve looked to her and she knew she was going to have to get ready for another ride on his back. Before she did though, a stubby machine hopped to them and stopped. She tensed up, until she saw that this machine had a soft green glow to their eyes. 

“Seven!” The machine’s eyes lit up when it saw her. “I found you!” 

She immediately looked to the brothers. Surely they wouldn’t attack one of their own? Slipping off from Eve’s back, she ran over and got on her knees to be at eye level with the machine. “Hey, what are you doing all the way out here? You should go home!”

The machine blinked. “But, you were lost and Rosco said we had to find you-”

“No no, I’m fine. Just go home, okay? Trust me.”

“Who are those men? Are they strangers?” The stubby machine tried to peek at the brothers over her head but she kept it firmly in place. “Pascal said not to talk to strangers.” 

She tried shaking her head a little, hoping it meant that the machine should stop talking now.

“Who is that?” Eve asked behind her. 

“Just go home,” she repeated almost breathlessly. “Don’t worry about me. These men are just-” she looked for the right word. “My friends. They’re just taking me out to go sightsee.”

Eve turned his face to Adam. “Brother. Can I kill it?” 

“No!” She shouted immediately and saw that even Eve was startled at her sudden outburst. “It’s just a kid. They don’t know any better, please, just let them go home.” Adam didn’t say anything and she took that as a chance to finally urge the machine to run back to safety. “Go on now, shoo.” Pushing them backwards so that they had an idea of what she was trying to do, the machine obediently backed away. 

“But the android lady with the swords said to help look for you!”

Seven shut her eyes. This little machine had just signed their death warrant. 

Eve rushed towards the machine just as she stepped in front to attempt to shield the child with her body. Of course, her defense was about as good as a piece of paper held up with the intent to stop a bullet. Eve easily tossed her aside with her back striking the floor with immense force; by the time she recovered, she was up just in time to see Eve wrench the child’s head away from its body after leaving a gaping hole where its core was supposed to be. 

“No!!” She screamed and ran back to try and pick up the pieces of the machine. Oil and coolant gathered in a puddle at her knees and she saw the eyes, once green and full of life, now void of any sentience. “You didn’t have to kill him!” 

Holding the machine head in her hands, she regretted not being strong enough to protect them. Since Pascal’s machines were disconnected from the Network, this machine’s memories, name, and emotions were gone forever. Just like the stones she had sank into the ocean. 

“Let’s go.” Adam was indifferent to the death of one of his own. Though she refused to move from her spot and forced the brothers to find another way to transport her. 

Eve tried forcing her up, but she pushed back. “Don’t touch me..!”

Adam took this as a learning opportunity and stood over Seven as she tried to gather the pieces and place them in a more dignified manner. “This machine, child or not, was just one of many. Why does their death mean so much to you?”

Adam saw her face. How it twisted with authentic agony at the death of a lifeform that was so commonly seen. He saw the oil stain her cloak and dress and the word ‘sentiment’ popped up in his head again. _Is this what it was?_ A gloved hand touched her chin, forcing her to look at him as his thumb caught a tear rolling down. He wiped it away, balancing the lacrimal fluid on the tip of his finger. Staring at it for a while, he squashed it between his thumb and forefinger and motioned Eve to come collect her. 

The younger machine did as he was told, having to pick up Seven in his arms as she lay there motionless like a doll. Over Eve’s shoulder, she kept her eyes on the child’s body even as they got further and further away. Where his hands gripped her, she felt the fresh oil that was still on his fingers that stained her clothes even more. 

*******

A2 dipped her hands into the pond and let it sit in her cupped palm before using it to wash off a swatch of dirt that was on her face. Once she could no longer see the brown staining her on the water’s surface, she stood back up and stretched. Her hands ran down her arms, but stopped when she reached the piece of cloth that was tied around her bicep. Her arm had healed by now and honestly, there was no need for that makeshift bandage in the first place. With her finger poised to untie it, she thought of ripping it off and discarding it. But something stopped her and she left it on, choosing to keep it on just a little longer.

Through the noises of the forest, she heard something rustle and assumed it was nothing more than just another woodland creature- though she was corrected when a figure stepped out of the brush. 

A2 brandished her sword, reading her offense when she saw 2B raise her hand to show she had no weapon. 

“Come to finish me off?” 

“..No.” 2B replied. “I came to ask for your assistance.”

A2 scoffed. “I thought YoRHa wouldn’t want anything to do with a rogue like me. Weren’t your orders ‘attack on sight’?”

“They might have been, but the matter I’m facing now is a lot more important. Put your weapon down, let’s talk.”

“We can talk, but I’m keeping my weapon out. Spit it out.”

“Fine. I’ll cut to the chase. You must know a girl that goes by ‘Seven’, right?”

“That annoying chatterbox? I only saw her for a brief second.” A2’s eyes flicked to the bandage on her arm. “That was all.. Besides, I thought that was just a nickname.” 

“It is. Her real name is..” 2B took a moment to remember and speak it out loud. “We call her Seven in order to maintain a form of anonymity to hide what she really is.”

“And what is that?”

2B knew she was taking a risk, but in this case, it was a necessary evil. “A human.” To her chagrin, A2 didn’t seem too convinced. 

“Sure and I’m supposed to believe that because you said so? That girl really was part of YoRHa, I see.”

“If she really were an android she would’ve had a black box signal and I would’ve found her by now, resulting in this conversation never taking place.” 2B and A2 stared at each other, both of them ready to strike but waiting for the other to do so first. It was the type of tension 2B was used to, but she needed to hurry this along if she wanted to find Seven in one piece. Lowering the backpack down slowly, she reached in, making sure to show every movement she was doing before taking out a small object. Walking slowly to A2, she opened her palm to reveal what it was and set it down on the grass a meter away from her.

Only after 2B returned to her original spot, A2 snatched what it was off the ground and inspected it. A black ribbon with a tag was made apparent and she saw the writing. ‘For A2, from 7’. 

“What the hell’s this supposed to be?”

“A gift. Seven meant to give it to you before she went missing.” 2B watched A2 study the gift further. “If that’s not incentive enough, once you help me find the missing human.. I’ll notify Command and they’ll stop hunting you.”

Her ears perked up on this notion. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“You don’t,” 2B answered plainly. “But the reward far outweighs the risk.”

A2 weighed her options, feeling the ribbon in her hand all the while doing so. Then, she sheathed her blade. “Fine. I’ll do it.”


	6. VI

9S woke up in a daze. Even though the Bunker was mostly shrouded in monochromatic light, he still found it to be overloading his sensory routes in the most unpleasant way. He flexed his knee, feeling the shin follow suit and saw that they hooked him up with new parts already. With no notion of how much time had elapsed, he felt more at a loss. 

The door to his room slid open and to his surprise, he saw the Commander herself. 

“Hello, 9S.”

“Commander.” 9S sat up, putting on the most dignity he could conjure in that precise moment. “How- I mean, what can I do for you?”

“I’ve come to personally update you on the current status of 2B. Right now, she’s searching for Seven.” Commander White had her hands behind her as she paced towards the open window that displayed the sea of stars. “Though with the lack of a black box signal or any other reliable leads.. That search might prove difficult and even-” she inhaled sharply, “-futile.”

9S sighed. He really liked Seven. Even if they didn’t spend that much time together, he enjoyed talking to her. “If something happened to her, you would have to report that to the Council of Humanity, right?” He saw her shoulders flicker, almost sagging before he saw them quickly return to their confident position at a perfect ninety-degree angle from her head. 

“..Yes. I would have to do that.” 

He made a face.  _ Why did she sound so unsure of that? _

“9S. If you are feeling able to go back to field work soon, I’d like you to help search for Seven as well.” 

“Okay, but-”

“It is imperative that we find this human at all costs.”

“Commander-?”

“At  _ all  _ costs. No exceptions.” With that, she turned on her heels and exited the room. 

9S collapsed back onto his bed and let out a groan. “What a slave driver,” he grumbled to himself and began slipping on his boots and blindfold. He wondered why she was making such a fuss over this. The chances of Seven surviving while under the care of Adam and Eve were very slim. If she didn’t make it- and he hated to admit it- there were other humans on the moon. Surely the loss of one human wouldn’t be such a big deal when there were so many others already. “Oh well.”

*******

“Oi, wake up.” Eve kicked Seven’s foot lightly and jostled her awake. She looked up from the makeshift bundle of her cloak and rubbed at her eyes. “Come on. Do something fun.” 

“I’m not a circus monkey,” she frowned and stood up. Her body was still tired and ached from sleeping in such an awkward position; not to mention the fact that she was forced to stay with Eve while Adam saw to business himself for the meantime. She hated to say it, but she wished the older machine was here to keep his little brother in check. Who knew what Eve would do in his absence? 

Though deep in her mind she had a feeling that Adam gave firm orders not to lay a finger on her.. Not until he said so. 

They waited in a forested area that was connected to an extensive pipeline system. It was what connected the flooded city to the area they were in now and remained for the time being. Silence passed until there was something popping in the near distance that got her attention and piqued her interest. A sound that echoed in the sky before dying out into smaller explosions that fizzed out at the end of their lifespan. From beyond the shade of the large trees, she saw lights of multi-colored hues dance behind the leaves and her curiosity got the best of her. 

She got up to follow the sound and lights until Eve grabbed her by the arm. “Where are you going?” 

Frowning, she batted away his arm and turned away from him, only irking him more. Suddenly she found herself pushed against a tree with one of his hands slamming the bark next to her head. “Don’t ignore me,” he said with a voice so low it was almost drowned out by the rustling leaves. 

“Then don’t be rude,” she shot back. They stared at each other for a while; her eyes connecting with his deep red ones while his drilled into hers. His other hand made its way directly onto her sternum and she tensed slightly as he kept it there.

“Your heart is beating fast. Why?”

_ Because you make me nervous.  _ “Because you’re touching me where I don’t want to be touched.” She plucked his hand off of her. “It would be nice if you didn’t grab me so randomly all the time. At least ask.”

“You want me to  _ ask _ ?” __

“It’s called consent, Eve, learn it.” Slipping under his arm, she continued to follow the noise and the duplicated crunch of grass behind her notified her of Eve following close. When she came out of the thicket, she stopped to take in the sight in front of her with widened eyes. The sky was darkened and partially blotted out the sun; upon further inspection she saw that the lights earlier were caused by fireworks that designed the smoky clouds with its floral patterns. Beyond the fireworks was a looming castle with its towers located adjacent but at differing heights. In the middle of the castle’s white stucco exterior was a heart, as lopsided as the towers itself. Beside the castle was the silhouette of a large ferris wheel, although from where she was standing she could see that it was losing some of its structural integrity. 

“Oh.. An amusement park!” She clapped her hands together, genuinely excited at what they found. “Should we go in?”

“There might be hostile machines that would rip you apart in there,” he sneered. 

“Really? I’m standing by a hostile machine and I’m perfectly fine,” she snapped back and sparks seemed to fly between their shared, antagonistic glare. Then without waiting for him, she ran ahead through the gates and into the park. Eve begrudgingly followed behind and hid the fact that he too was curious about the contents of this place. The small part of him that was filled with childish wonder slowly became amplified when he saw more and more things that he wanted to interact with. 

Seven was in front of a fountain with a large rabbit holding a timepiece in its paw. Beside her was a bipedal machine with a jester hat and makeup, holding a balloon in its hand. 

“I don’t know what Adam sees in you,” Eve mumbled to himself. “Personally, I’m looking forward to you dying from something stupid.” If Seven heard that, she ignored it and greeted the clown machine beside her. 

The clown waved its balloon in the air. “Hell-o! Welcome! Is this your first time?” 

“Yeah, I suppose it is. What’s there to do around here?” 

“There’s a roller coaster and a theater in the back!” The machine pointed towards the direction of the castle. When it saw Eve standing behind her, its eyes lit up. “Oh! Is this a date?” 

“I-” she coughed. “Uh, no. We’re just exploring. Thank you.” She quickly retreated further inwards to the park and Eve followed. 

“Hey, what’s a ‘date’?” he asked and saw how her face turned red. At first he thought it was her version of visual hostility as machine’s eyes glow a fierce red before attacking; but when he saw how she bundled up her arms and refused to look at him, he had to rethink that notion.

“It’s nothing,” she muttered, still refusing to look at him.

“Tell me. What’s a ‘date’?” 

She let out a heavy sigh when she realized he wouldn’t be dissuaded so easily. “It’s..when two people- like a couple, go somewhere to have fun.” As she spoke, two machines hopped past her. They were both holding hands while they walked towards the back of the park. “Like that,” she gestured to the two. “They’re on a date. Uh, maybe.”

Eve watched the machines. Their metal fingers clumsily holding onto the other’s as they walked. “You have to hold hands?”

“No. Only if you’re a couple, I guess- look, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been on a date.” Her admittance was followed by an even stronger flush of color across her cheeks. 

“Neither have I.”

“Who would’ve guessed..”

“So, are we on a date right now?” 

“Wha- no!” 

“But that machine back there just asked if we were a couple.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” she turned her face away. “That machine assumed things!”

Eve’s eyes never left the machine couple and slowly, his gaze turned to his own hand that was empty. “..I’ve never held anyone’s hand before.” 

Sympathy overrode her initial disdain. Since she had first seen Eve, his first instinct was to follow anything Adam told him to do and liked what his brother liked. Adam had a keen interest in humanity, but Eve? Eve just tagged along because they were family. Something told her that he wasn’t even doing this because he wanted to, but because he was compelled. 

In a way, Eve was just as lost as her in this world. 

The machine looked up when she appeared in front of him. Her hand was held up and he raised a brow. “What’s this?” he asked and she motioned her head to her hand. Getting the idea, he raised his own hand as well until they touched palm-to-palm. Hers was smaller in comparison to his, but when she interlocked her fingers with his, he was pleasantly surprised at how well it fit. It was neither too small nor too big, it was just the right size. 

“You’re warm,” he murmured and she remembered him saying that when she first climbed onto his back. Though this time, his face was softened and he almost appeared content. 

“There. Now you can say you did hold someone’s hand, right?” Seven withdrew her touch and for a brief moment she saw his eyes flicker with disappointment. “Let’s go,” she turned her back to him. “I want to see more of the park. Come on, it’ll be fun.” After taking a few steps away, she stopped when she didn’t hear him follow. “Eve?”

Eve was still standing there. His eyes glued to his now empty palm until she gently called his name to get his attention. Extending her hand, she tried her best to smile at him. “Want to hold my hand again?” 

Without any snide remarks, without any grimacing expressions this time- he took her hand and they walked together. 

*******

“So why ask me for help? Aren’t you newer YoRHa types supposed to be better?” A2 had no trouble keeping up with 2B as they traveled across the rooftops. 

“Because,” 2B stuck a landing perfectly and continued her long stride. “Our combat models were meant to take after the data of the previous generations.  _ Your _ generation. You were the blueprint.”

“I’m flattered,” A2’s tone was dull. “Did Command tell you that?”

“No. Anemone did.”

“Anemone?” A2 almost stopped. “So, she’s alive. Well I suppose I’m glad about that.” 

“Emotions are prohibited.”

A2 was tempted to roll her eyes. “Bullshit. You seemed pretty hung up about that human going missing. So let’s stop with the hypocrisy.” They both stopped and the long-haired android crossed her arms. “Be honest. You don’t even know where to start looking, huh?” 

“...No.” 2B admitted. 

“Tch. You’re useless too then.” She kicked aside a dead machine, feeling the empty metal clang at the tip of her scuffed heel. “Too bad you can’t hack into these things. Might find something useful.”

Pod 042 hovered between them. “Alert. Working with rogue YoRHa member Attacker no. 2 can lead to severe consequences-”

“Pod, continue blocking tracking signals from the Bunker and delay any incoming advice.” The pod immediately shut up and A2 raised a brow. 

“So, you’re doing this without Command’s approval. That’ll look bad on your part.”

The pod beeped again. “Proposal: Attacker no. 2 can enable the ability to hack. This can be used on machines to find the human.”

“Is that so?”

“Though Attacker no. 2 would not be as adept as 9S.”

“You little-” A2 stopped herself and scowled. “So? Tell me how to do it already. And can you just call me A2? That formal stuff is getting on my damn nerves.”

“Confirmed. Sending over data.”

Pod began scanning her and A2 felt an online connection that tethered her, 2B, and Pod together. Soon, she felt that connection disappear and hide underneath the layers of wiring sitting just beneath the surface of her faux skin. After all was said and done, she waited for confirmation on what to do next. 

“Focus your mind on hacking this machine,” 2B motioned to the dead lifeform beside them. “We need to know where Adam and Eve are keeping her.”

A2 focused her attention onto the hunk of metal and raised her hand. Short beams of light shot out from her palm and connected with the machine as her eyes narrowed the more she continued to do it. 2B was on standby as the other android hacked and gathered what information she could. When she was done, she shook her hand as if she touched something ghastly and had a sour look on her face. 

“Nothing,” she announced. 

“Then we hack other machines until we find something,” 2B said. 

That was an extremely long list of machines to go through and A2 already felt vexed. “Seriously?”

“Yes. We’ll go through every machine for a hint.”

“How many do you think that will be?”

“We’ll kill and destroy as many as it takes.”

“For once, I agree with you.”

*******

More smoke from the fireworks covered the blue sky and cast a dark veil over the amusement park. This was as close to sunset as she would ever get in this new world. Both her and Eve explored the park, all the while holding hands. She discovered that when she held his hand, he would decline to say anything negative or spiteful about her. So she made a point to constantly hold him even if she felt her palm getting sweaty. When it got too unbearable, she retrieved her hand to wipe along her cloak.

“Why’d you let go?” Eve asked immediately. 

“My hand is sweating,” she dusted her cloak. “It’s ‘cause you’re wearing those leather gloves.” 

“What if I take them off?” He slipped off one and she saw a fleshy hand underneath where she expected a metal appendage instead. Instead of waiting for her, he took her hand in his and she felt his skin rub against hers. “You’re soft.”

Seven squeezed his hand back in response. “Come on, let’s look for that roller coaster. I think it’s behind those buildings.” The area she pointed to was unfortunately blocked off by collapsed debris and a large ride that was far past its expiration date. Rusted cars attached to a centerpiece made a makeshift staircase and she began to climb it as best she could. Eve did it without trouble of course, but her on the other hand.. She was on the precipice of slipping with each rocket car she jumped on. 

“Don’t fall.”

“Thanks for the advice,” she heaved herself on top of another car and carefully jumped across another one. It only took four more heart-stopping leaps before her feet met reliable ground again. That seemed to be the hardest part of their journey across, but of course, she was mistaken; as on the other side of the building they climbed was a large area with a full tank cruising through. 

Her heart stopped and she looked to Eve who was already monitoring it. “Are they hostile?” she whispered and saw one of the tank’s cannons protrude from the mass. But instead of a missile, balloons popped out and floated to the air. Eve started towards them and she grabbed onto his arm. “Wait! I don’t think they’ll attack. Don’t fight unless you’re directly threatened,” she scolded him. Eve didn’t show any signs of stopping, so she did only what she could at the moment and reached forward to interlock her fingers with his. 

This for sure made him stop and look down at her with surprise. “Come on,” she pleaded. “No more. Let’s just go on the ride.” As they passed by the tank containing multiple clown-faced machines inside, they climbed the stairs to the roller coaster. There, she saw the cart with many of its seats empty as expected. 

“Ah.” She clicked her tongue in disappointment. “This thing doesn’t have seatbelts. Guess I can’t ride.”

“What’s a seatbelt?”

“The thing you strap around yourself so you don’t fall or have an accident,” she made a motion of a belt clicking across her waist. “This sucks. Oh well.”

“What if I held onto you?”

“What?” 

Eve took a seat at the front of the cart and held a hand out for her to follow. She took it and soon found herself strapped to his lap with both of his arms holding her securely by the waist- just like she demonstrated earlier. Heat built up in her stomach. “I don’t think this-”

The roller coaster lurched forward and she leaned against his chest in surprise. It had already begun moving and she was stuck on his lap for the remainder of this ride whether she liked it or not. Once they started climbing up into what was promised as a steep fall, she clung tighter with her arms locked around his neck. “Please don’t let go,” she begged and felt his arms hold her tighter. When the roller coaster began slowing down- a sign that they were just about to drop- she squeezed her eyes shut. 

The coaster stopped momentarily alongside her heart, then it plunged unexpectedly and she let out a hybrid of a scream and a laugh. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and she couldn’t help the joyful shrieks that poured out of her mouth. When it went into a loop, she heard a voice that wasn’t her own and saw that Eve was laughing alongside her. Wind tousled their hair in all directions as the coaster went up and down, left and right, and into multiple circled loops; each fast descent had an unexpected stop that made them bounce up as the coaster did its best to throw them off. Fireworks illuminated their faces and she saw his skin light up with the respective purple and pink hues that seemed to meld with and complement his eyes perfectly. 

She looked away just as he took his turn to look at her. He didn’t miss the parts where she buried her face into his neck when the upcoming drop was a bit too steep for her tastes, or how her hair tickled his skin when they hung upside down, or how he could feel her heart pound wildly and beat against his own chest when she held onto him. 

As the ride came to an end, Eve gathered her in his arms and hopped off. Instead of the platform they started on, they landed through a gaping hole at the top of a building and found themselves in an auditorium with rusted parts strewn about. There was a stage, but no actors; there were seats, but no audience. 

“That was fun,” Eve grinned. “Let’s go again.”

“Really?” Her heart still didn’t recover. “You want to go again?”

“Yeah why not? Let’s go.”

“You won’t mind me sitting on your lap again?” 

“No. You can sit on my lap for as long as you need to.” Of course he didn’t realize the implication of his words, but it didn’t stop her face from turning that intense crimson shade. He was starting to catch on as to what that color meant for humans, but not quite. “Why are you turning red again?” 

Ever since she first saw him, Eve had always been shirtless. But now given their proximity and the fact that she could feel the hardened mass of his body without a shirt on, she swallowed hard. Hopping down from his arms, she straightened out her dress and cloak. As if the universe sensed her need to make conversation that didn’t involve him, the doors burst open behind them as several small machines marched towards the stage. 

“The play starts soon! The play starts soon!” One of them chanted as they began climbing onto the wooden platform. Others began pulling the thick red drapes while some cleaned off the debris to make room for the performers. 

“Look, they’re about to put on a show. Wanna stay and watch?” she asked. 

Eve made a face. “Looks boring. Let’s go on the roller coaster instead.” He grabbed onto her hand and she was compelled to follow for if she didn’t, her arm would surely be ripped off at the force with which he dragged her along. Outside the theater, another figure waited for them on the bridge connecting the main park to the building they were in. 

“There you are,” said Adam. “I was beginning to wonder where you two wandered off to.”

“This place is so much fun, brother,” Eve ran up to him with an excited smile. “There’s this thing called a ‘roller coaster’ and it takes you up and down the sky at really fast speeds. We should all go!” 

“A roller coaster? I see.” Adam saw how Seven was directly behind Eve. And of course, he didn’t miss the fact that their hands were locked tightly together. 

“There’s a play going on, I want to see what they’re performing,” she divulged to the two machines. “I think it’ll be fun.”

“But all we’re gonna do is sit around and watch. That’s boring,” said Eve. 

“A play? That does sound interesting,” Adam put a finger under his chin. “We should at least go see what it’s about.”

When she saw that Eve was disappointed, she squeezed his hand. “We can go back on the roller coaster after the play. Promise.”

Eve finally relented. “Alright. Since you promised, you can’t take it back.” 

They went back inside the building all the while Eve held onto her and never let go even as they took their seats. Unbeknownst to her and him, Adam watched, his eyes trained on how comfortable his younger brother seemed to be around her presence now. Seven was situated in between the brothers, with the two machines not knowing what personal space was as their legs and arms touched hers directly. Eve laid back, his legs spread and his hand in his lap; this meant that her hand was also in his lap and he made no show of giving her her own limb back. 

Adam sat with his back straight and his right leg crossing his left one. He held his own hands, placing them over the other as he crossed his legs and waited for the show to begin. The thick curtains that were held up with a sash that was equal in width drew back slowly and the lights in the auditorium dimmed. More machines lined up on the floor below them. All of them standing in front of the stage as the spotlight was focused front and center. 

Two machines marched on stage. Their bodies were covered with blue and red paint, supposedly indicating the genders they represented. Not even one line in and she heard Eve mumble. “This is stupid..”

The red machine spoke first. “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?” 

Then came the blue machine, holding his arm out in the pose of a practiced soliloquist. “Ah, Juliet, Juliet, wherefore art thou, Juliet?”

_ Romeo and Juliet? Classic.  _ Her starting interest was muddled when another red machine ran onto the stage. 

“O Romeo, Romeo, which one of thou art Romeo?” The new machine asked. 

And, to her dismay, another blue machine ran to be in front of the second Juliet. “Ah Juliet, Juliet, I am not wholly sure!”

A third Juliet ran onto the stage. “O Romeo, Romeo, then let us cull thy numbers!” 

The third Romeo came to meet his counterpart. “Ah Juliet, Juliet, then I shall take thy life!” 

“Wait,” muttered Seven. “That’s not right.”

The first Juliet instantly dove for Romeo #1’s neck and Seven stared in utter shock as the Juliets attacked their Romeos with unabashed violence and vicious intent. 

“Die, Romeo! Thou stupid asshole!” 

“I shall make thee regret the day of thy birth!” Romeo ripped off Juliet’s legs and used it to bash her on the head. 

In response, Juliet slapped Romeo. “I shall make thee taste dirt!”

“Diiiieeeeee!”

“Begone from the world forever, wench!”

“Pisseth off!” 

Eve chuckled. “Maybe this isn’t so bad.”

Only one Juliet remained and she stopped her aggression, her eyes turning back to that normal yellow color as she approached the edge of the stage. “My Romeos are no more. I have slain them each and all.” She raised her arms up to meet her maker. “I must join them anon!” Then promptly, she self-destructed. 

The curtains closed and the machines on the first floor made metallic clangs as they brought their hands together to clap. Meanwhile, Seven was thoroughly addled by this new version of a literature classic. Surely Shakespeare was rolling in his grave right now. 

“Well that was..interesting,” said Adam. 

“I don’t think that was right,” she told him. “That wasn’t the original story that I remember at least.” But of course, an artist was free to express themselves as they saw fit. This play would be more memorable than the original, that much she can say. 

“What was the story of the original?”

“Wait, you said we could go for another ride,” Eve butted in, pulling her towards him before she could explain the plot. “C’mon!”

Adam sighed. “Very well. Let us go.”

*******

Seven wandered out from underneath the shade of a tree which shielded Eve as he slept. After their fourth or fifth ride in a row, Eve suddenly got up from the seat of the coaster cart to rest underneath the tree he was under currently. Of course, he carried her with him and she didn’t dare move off his lap until she confirmed that he was deep asleep. Slipping off her cloak, she used it to cover up Eve’s bare chest and hoped it would be a worthy substitute for warmth. 

She stretched her arms above her head and saw Adam standing in the middle of the empty plaza where the tank previously was. He looked lost in thought and perked up when he heard her approach. 

“Has he finally worn himself out?” He spoke with a hint of a smile. “Wise of you to wait before you moved.” 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “What were you doing in the city? 

Adam tilted his head, curious as to why she wanted to know of his plans. It was refreshing to have someone to talk to about his ideologies so he obliged. “I wanted to take samples from the androids. Their bodies were littered around the city like leaves.” He saw her tense and he smiled. “Your precious 2B was not one of those corpses. I decided against taking any, lest their black box signals lead them to you.” 

She relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. Adam held his hand out to her as he did a small curtsy. “Would you like to dance?” 

Slipping her hand in his, Adam realized why Eve enjoyed holding her so much. The warmth she emanated was genuine. A feeling that couldn’t be hoped to be replicated by machine nor android. He took a moment to relish the feeling before continuing with the routine he copied from a book he read. 

“Eve enjoyed his day with you,” Adam spoke as he placed a hand on her hip. “You showed him a rather good time from my understanding.” 

They twirled, his footsteps light in contrast to her rather clumsy ones. “He told you that?”

“We’re connected by the Network. I felt something come from him. A lighthearted feeling.” He dipped her, his long hair tickling her collarbone. “I too would like to experience this.”

“Is that why we’re dancing?”

“This is called a ‘waltz’, if my databases are correct. They take place during balls or some other form of grand festivity.” If that was the case, then this empty and dilapidated plaza would be their dancefloor. Even in their pillaged and worn state, it still provided an illusion of grandeur. When the fireworks lit up the sky, she saw the lights reflect onto his long silver hair, and for a moment she could imagine that she was a girl dancing with a prince. “You were to tell me the story of Romeo and Juliet, were you not?”

“It’s not as interesting as you may think.” He twirled her again and caught her by the waist. 

“Regardless, I’d like to know.” Their fingers interlocked and she was made aware of their closeness. 

“There’s a girl and boy, Romeo and Juliet of course. They both belong to enemy houses that hate each other with a passion.”

“What is the reason for their hate towards one another?”

She didn't know if she could answer that. “I’m not too sure. They just do. Maybe something their ancestors did to each other? But they meet at a dance and Romeo instantly falls in love with Juliet.” 

“A pretty story.”

“Not so much. Their two families didn’t approve of the other and did their best to drive them apart. So they sought to escape and Juliet thought that the only way they could be together was for her to fake her death so that her family would forget about her. She took a sleeping draught and her family notified everyone of her apparent ‘death’. Romeo heard the news and met her in her tomb where he himself took poison to die beside her. By the time Juliet awoke, Romeo was already dead and in her grief, she killed herself too.” 

Seven thought the original play was rather monotonous in terms of brevity, but she saw how Adam’s eyes were alert and how authentic his interest was in classic literature. “Why did they kill themselves?” 

She blinked. She thought that notion was rather obvious. “Because they didn’t want to live in a world without the one they loved the most.”

“It’s fascinating how love can drive one to do such a thing. Did they think that killing themselves would allow them to meet in some afterlife?”

“Maybe. But to them it was better than suffering alone while alive.”

“Would that be love? Or devotion?”

“Both.”

“I see.” They stopped dancing. “And what of the families? Did they mourn?”

“Yes. When they discovered Romeo and Juliet dead and beside each other in death, they stopped their years-long feud.” 

“Would you say that it was worth their sacrifice?”

“No. It’s almost never worth it to make someone a martyr for their cause. They didn’t deserve that ending just for being in love.”

Adam smiled. “You continue to intrigue me.” He lifted one of her hands to his lips and kissed the knuckle. “Thank you for the dance, my dear human.” 


	7. VII

“Have you found anything yet?” Popola asked as A2 plopped down on the empty bed. The white-haired android responded with a heated glare before hanging her head and letting her long hair fall over her face. 

“No, we haven’t.” 2B’s posture was slightly lax, it was the only indicator that the soldier was exhausted at all.

“Is there anything we can do?” Devola was leaning against the wall with her arms and legs crossed. “We don’t want to sit here and do nothing.”

The answer was immediate. “No. Your models are..” 2B paused, not wanting to offend them any further. 

“It’s okay,” Popola picked up on what she was about to say. “I know our models are a bit outdated. We wouldn’t be much use to you out there anyways.”

“Popola!”

“It’s true, Devola. We would only be dragging them down if we tagged along.” The harsh truth was already made apparent to Devola and so she refused to say anything more. They weren’t built to be combat models, after all. “We just want Seven to come back safe,” Popola continued. 

2B set the backpack down in front of her, retrieving the ribbons that Seven crafted for the twins. Handing both to Popola, the android saw the tag and a shimmer passed over her eyes. “How sweet of her.”

“She made them before she was taken. She would want you to have them.”

Devola took her share of the gift and with Popola, swapped the flowers behind their ears for the ribbon instead. Popola closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath. 2B only picked up on the latter half of it, but assumed it was a prayer. She would normally advise against doing such a thing. God didn’t seem to care about them anymore. 

“We’ll leave you two to rest,” Popola ushered Devola out, leaving 2B and A2 to sit on their respective beds. 

Luckily they were situated away from each other. Far away. 2B plucked the backpack off the floor and heard something clatter onto the ground. She stooped to pick it up and saw it was the recording device Seven usually kept with her. Against her better judgement, she pressed play and the most recent recording was heard. 

_“This is Seven speaking.. I’m in a village with machines. But they’re all friendly so it’s fine.”_ There was a heavy sigh that interrupted the monologue. _“2B and I got into another argument. I wish she and I would get along more, but maybe our personalities just don’t fit. Maybe if I got her a gift..?”_

2B stuffed the recorder into the backpack and left it on the table, discarding it like it hurt her physically. A2 watched her shameful display and cocked her head as she openly mocked the other android. “I thought ‘emotions were prohibited’?” 

*******

Seven sat upright suddenly. A veil of cold sweat forcing her hair to stick in a matted fashion to her skin. The breaths that exited her were ragged and fast, making her hold herself to calm down as she touched her throat and felt the larynx bob up to catch her saliva. 

“What is it?”

She glanced up and saw Adam looking down at her. “Nothing,” she muttered and was made aware of how numb her legs felt. The cause was a sleeping Eve who rested his head on her lap. Her fingers absentmindedly ran through his hair and was surprised to find them soft like running through individual strands of silken fabric. She assumed Adam felt the same. “Just a nightmare.” 

He gave her that look he always did when he wanted to know more about something and so she obliged. “It’s kind of like a dream- except bad. It makes your worst fears come to life I guess.”

“What was your nightmare about?”

“The day I came here.. There were explosions and fire everywhere. I just dreamt about that again.” 

“What do you do when you have these nightmares?”

“Nothing,” she sighed. “All you can do is hope someone will be there to wake you up.” At that, Eve stirred and she caressed his hair so that he would quiet down. She waited for Adam to notice her stare and when he did, she motioned to the patch of empty grass beside her. “Do you want to sit down with us?” He remained standing from the moment she fell asleep to the moment she woke up and wondered if machines could feel discomfort like she did.

Adam did so, sitting beside her as she cradled Eve’s head. The older sibling seemed to smile at the sight. “We machines don’t need sleep. Though I’m assured the act is pleasant nonetheless.” 

“Do you choose to sleep?”

“Why should I when being awake is so much more interesting?” He lifted her chin up with a finger and studied every lined and creased feature. “Tell me- what are you thinking right now?”

There were many thoughts that lingered in her mind. The main one was the one she chose to vocalize. “Why did I wake up alone?” 

“Once again, you and I share the circumstance of waking by ourselves in this world.” His gaze turned distant. “I can only describe such an act as hatred. How could someone leave us so defenseless to fend for ourselves?”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” As pathetic as it sounded, this was all she currently had on offer. “But do you still feel alone now?”

Adam’s eyes cast their direction towards Eve. “I suppose not.” He then saw how intently she was looking at him. “Do you have something else on your mind?”

“Can I touch you?” 

He was perplexed, it was not the response he had in mind. Nevertheless, he inclined to her request and monitored her movements with great care. Her hands touched the sides of his glasses and pulled them down until she could see the rest of his face unhindered. There was a subtle smile on her lips. “You have beautiful eyes.”

A confusing concoction of emotions bubbled somewhere in his chest. Warmth mixed with a flush of something he’d never experienced before rose up and dispelled throughout his entire being. “Your staring is rather intense.”

“But this is how you look at me.”

His thumb extended upwards and felt how pliant her bottom lip was against the harsh material of his glove. Was this how his lips felt too? Whether by accident or not, he felt the tip of her tongue brush against his thumb and he leaned closer in response. He studied how her pupils dilated and how her breath seemed to catch in her throat. “Do I make you nervous, little human?”

Her eyelashes fluttered as he continued to move her lips in the way he saw fit. “Not anymore.”

His lips curled over his teeth in a sardonic grin. “Oh? Should I remedy that?” The gap of space between them was cut shorter and shorter. She had no choice other than to sit there and watch him act on his insatiable curiosity. Involuntarily, she squeezed her thighs together, making her knees move and knock Eve’s head. The disturbed machine blinked as he awoke from his slumber and stretched his arms up. 

“Are we moving out?” He said through a yawn. 

“I-” she could only nod as she turned her face away before Adam could get any closer. “Yeah, I think we are.” Eve stood up and freed her from his weight. By the time she got up, she felt her legs wobble with that fizzy feeling persisting.

“What’s up with you?” Eve asked. 

“You made my legs numb.” She tried pinching her thighs to bring the blood back to her legs and realized she still held onto Adam’s glasses when attempting to use her other arm. As the life came back to her limbs, she positioned the temples of the glasses away from her. Carefully, she placed them back on Adam’s face and backed away with a shy look. Eve knelt down for her to climb on his back and she slid on, wrapping her arms around his neck. “No, Eve. For the last time, we can’t hold hands while I’m on your back..” 

Adam followed with a languorous step in comparison to his brother’s vigorous stride. His mind wandered to how her fingers felt on his face. Despite how fleeting her touch was, he knew he wanted to feel that again. 

*******

9S sat staring at the hologrammed screen his pod displayed. According to the commander, he was not yet fit for field duty but contained the capacity to perform hacking duties remotely. To get a better idea of where he should be looking, he called 2B and waited until her face popped up to speak. 

“Hey, 2B. I’m checking in on you to see how the search is going.”

_“9S.”_ She was breathless saying his name, relieved to see him up and ready for duty. _“I have nothing so far, but I’m continuing the search.”_

“Do you need me to come down there?”

_“No. I have someone that can help me. She will be your temporary replacement until we find Seven.”_

“‘She’?”

_“9S. There was a message sent to the Bunker right before your signal was lost. Was that sent by you?”_

He scratched his head. “Er, no. Not that I remember at least. What did it say?”

_“‘Help Seven’.”_

“That’s it?”

_“Yes.”_

“No, I definitely didn’t send that. Where was the file?” 

_“I was notified that Command tucked it away in the backlogs. If you’re hacking remotely, let me know if you find anything. 2B out.”_

The screen flattened and 9S sat there with the gears in his head turning. “‘Help Seven’? That’s pretty weird.” The more he ignored it, the worse his curiosity grew and he finally decided that he wanted to investigate. He poked his head out of his room to make sure no one saw him exiting before running down to the terminal where Command kept all of their files. An elevator lifted him up to the empty cargo space and saw only empty crates and dusty computers line the room. 

With no one around and curiosity plaguing him ever more, he began to hack and enter the virtual space. 

The mainframe for the Bunker was accessed easily enough. Their servers were almost similar in style to the machines he’d hacked before. Normally this was prohibited unless one had authorization, but he didn’t see the harm in going through the files. After all, it was a simple message, they couldn’t possibly condemn him for that. 

One of the servers containing discarded messages from the past week showed up and he pulled the most recent into view. 2B was right. Literally all it said was ‘Help Seven’ over and over again in a long paragraph. 

A part of him was disappointed. “I guess there’s really nothing else to it.” Before he could exit, he heard a loud blip from somewhere and stopped. He thought he was hallucinating until the sound played again. It was a pleasant noise, like a chime from a bell. “What’s that..?” 

The chiming grew more frequent and he saw the file he was staring at drain of words, leaving a blank page in its wake. Chains of letters seemed to flit underneath him and he saw the letters turn to numbers. A set of binary codes began to travel along as a cipher with some hovering above to spell out the word ‘follow’. 

It seemed to lead him through to another set of servers that were definitely off-limits to one such as himself- but the codes didn’t stop urging him and so he did as he was told. To his surprise, the codes opened up a port and he was introduced to a circular plaza that held possibly all of YoRHa’s intelligence from over the years. He definitely shouldn’t be doing this, and yet he persisted. 

There was heavy security of course, but nothing he couldn’t handle. That was until he saw the codes ‘erase’ the security and tunnel a wall to fit them in, like a private escape route. This didn’t seem like your typical malware from what he could gather and it didn’t seem to behave like anything he’d seen before. It was as if he was watching something with great sentience hacking alongside him. 

It led him around and around until they reached a large box. 9S only noticed that this ‘hacker’s movements were deliberate. They knew where they were going, as if they’ve been through here before.

_“Detected: Access log to the Council of Humanity’s lunar server.”_

Immediately, a shield was pulled up and 9S became perplexed. “What’s a barrier doing here…?” The codes stopped beside him, covering him in a sort of makeshift firewall while he hacked in and investigated. “Hmm… Looks like records for supplies shipped to the moon. Strange… There were a ton of empty containers. That’s weird. Why would they do that?”

A sliding noise caught his attention and he saw something appear in the distance. “...Huh? A new port just opened.” 

_“Detected: Council of Humanity and Project YoRHa records index. Alert: we are not authorized to access this data.”_

“I know, but..this stuff is all wrong.” He saw the codes slither past him and go towards the new port. When they reached the new server together, they were immediately attacked by an attack barrier. A barrier that his new friend quickly disposed of with record speed. “Hey, just who are you?” 

The code ignored him and pointed to the server, urging him to check it out. 9S did just that. 

“Let’s see… Looks like info about how the Council of Humanity was formed as part of Project YoRHa- wait. Isn’t that backwards?” 

Suddenly, a voice that wasn’t his entered his head. 

_“After a long period of battles and adventures, the prophet spoke. O grant me the mercy of the land! O grant me the joy of the heavens! Release me from my yoke of iron! Thus shall our souls be saved. Forever and ever. Forever and ever..”_

9S consciousness slammed back into him as the words faded, forcing him to take a step backwards as he absorbed the shock. He was breathless and found himself staring at the empty cargo hold again. How was it possible that he was forced out from hacking? He held his head, feeling the pulse there before deciding that that was enough for the day.

“The hell was that..” he mumbled to himself. “Why did YoRHa create the Council of Humanity..? None of this makes sense.”

*******

“Brother.”

“Hm?”

Eve stopped with Seven sound asleep in his arms since she was robbed of the privilege of rest earlier. “Do we have to kill her? She’s kinda fun to be around.” 

“Have you grown attached so quickly?”

“Haven’t you?” 

Adam turned to see that look of wanton craving for affection on Eve’s face. He remained silent as no answer came to mind presently, thus puzzling Eve. His brother _always_ had an answer for everything. 

He decided to ask another question. “Why do we have to fight? Can’t we go somewhere quiet?”

Once again, Adam had no answer. 

*******

9S was still trying to wrap his head around the situation earlier. Why were there attack barriers installed on those specific servers? Who was the person hacking beside him? Why did they want to show him the information inside? There was no way he could think in here and so he decided to go back to his room- until his pod beeped. 

_“9S.”_ Shit. It was the Commander’s voice. _“I’m sorry. You’re needed back at Command.”_ The call was cut and he boarded the elevator with anxiety twisting inside him. Had the code he worked with turned out to be malware? Did he just cause the Bunker to be hacked? All of these possibilities began building up into more imaginary situations that were inherently bad, and all of them attacked at once as soon as he saw the commander’s unmistakable silhouette. 

Commander White turned to meet him, her face more solemn than usual. “You left quite a trail when you accessed the main server.” 

_Now or never._ “That’s what I wanted to speak with you about, Commander.” He saw her face wrench into an emotion he hadn’t seen on her before, but pushed on regardless. “I found records stating that the Council of Humanity was established as part of Project YoRHa. But I’d always heard it was the other way around. So-” _here it goes_ , “-did YoRHa actually create the Council of Humanity?”

The commander shut her eyes and he saw her posture go lax as it did before. “Yes. We installed the Council of Humanity’s server on the surface of the moon.”

9S’ breath shook. “But that means…”

Her eyes turned fierce, yet there was a lingering melancholy that danced behind them. “Mankind no longer exists.” He took a step back. “In truth, humans never went to the moon at all. Any transmissions received from the moon are just dummy signals we set up in advance. The only thing there is a small bit of data relating to the human genome.”

“But why would you-”

“Humans were already extinct when the aliens attacked.”

“What about Seven? She’s human, isn’t she?!” 

She nodded. “She is.”

“She said she came here around the time the aliens attacked, how is that possible?”

“I wondered about that as well. I suspected she lied, but after hearing her account, I believe that was a fabrication that was implemented into her memories.”

“Why? Why would someone do that? How did she even end up here if the humans have been extinct this whole time?”

“I don’t know.” Commander White replied sharply. “None of that matters now. It’s important that all of our assets focus on protecting this girl. You realize this now, yes?” 

“..Yeah.” He gripped his fists. _Because she’s the last human on Earth._


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm 30k words away from my millionth word count. So close, I can smell it.

9S didn’t know what to tell 2B. Or whether he should tell her at all. Pacing around his small space in the Bunker didn’t help him either. He already felt trapped within his own head, the cramped room just seemed to increase that claustrophobia even more so. 

And then there was the case of the last human on Earth. 

Where the hell did she come from? Why did she show up here? Just _who_ was she? 

Something told him that she would just be as confused as him if he confronted her directly. But as the commander said, none of those questions mattered right now. What did matter was that he helped find her as soon as he could. 

When he snuck out to the abandoned terminal again, he had no fear of being discovered and quickly got to work on finding the machine lifeforms Adam and Eve. 

*******

Pod 042 blipped and an incoming message came from 9S. 2B answered, noting how uncomfortable his face seemed to appear even underneath his visor. “What is it, 9S?”

_“2B, can you do me a favor? If you still have that dynamic scanner, find the highest point in the city and install it there.”_

“Is that all?” 

_“Yeah- wait, no. Earlier you said you were with somebody, who is it?”_

2B saw A2 raise a brow as she dangled her leg off the building’s ledge. “It’s no one. If that’s all, I’ll get going.”

_“Alright.. Keep me updated. 9S out.”_

A2 got up as soon as the call ended. “I’m surprised no one at Command sensed me yet.”

“I’m blocking transmissions that track down black box signals that aren’t mine. Right now they think I’m traveling alone.” 

“Hm. So, find the highest point in the city?” She turned her sights towards an old cell tower in the middle of the business district. Its structural integrity was more than questionable, but it stood still for hundreds of years- so it must be somewhat reliable. “I’m still surprised you haven’t turned your sword against me yet.”

“I’ve told you before. With your offensive capabilities and the ability to hack, it would be useful against those machines we’re looking for.”

“Then let’s get going.”

2B leapt off the edge of the building with A2 following behind. They passed by overgrown structures and wild animals before reaching the cell tower. 2B climbed up first, going as fast as she can while A2 went second. Something about having someone who you once considered an enemy following you up a one-way route made her severely uncomfortable, so she hurried her pace along. Once at the top, she removed the dynamic scanner extension from her pod and plugged it into the open panel. After a few moments, she received another call from 9S. 

_“Thanks, 2B. I’ll let you know what I find..”_

She expected him to hang up but saw that he lingered, the sides of his mouth wrenched downwards. “What is it?”

_“It’s nothing.. 9S out.”_

“What now?” A2 asked. 

“We wait.”

*******

Lying scattered across uneven mounds of dirt were alien motherships. At least that was what Adam claimed they were. He also took the time to explain their origins in that the machines were created by aliens, and the androids by humans. There were even some corpses of aliens lying here in this steel graveyard. Their appearance was not at all what she expected. Instead, they shared their looks with that of a cephalopod. Their tentacles curled up into their decayed, mummified bodies as their vacant eye sockets stared at the ground. 

“Don’t fret,” Adam told her. “The death of our alien creators was no great loss.” The look she gave him was that of confusion. It always seemed as if the androids missed their creators after going so long without them, though the machines did not feel that way about theirs. “I wouldn’t call them living beings anyways.. Their goals were guileless. Nothing except power or dominance were in their purview.” 

There were at least six or eight of these spaceships that were within her immediate view. “What do you feel when you see them?” 

Adam stood next to her, his eyes gleaning the wreckage. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” He turned to face her, “I would like to ask you something.” 

“Yes?” 

“If you were to die right now, what would your last thought be?”

A mix of a disbelieving laugh and sigh escaped her. “This again? I told you, I don’t know. It would depend on the moment..and how much pain I’m in. But if I had to guess, I would be sad.”

“But why? Why would you be sad? Because your life is slipping away?”

“No. Because of the people I would leave behind.” She smiled at him, genuinely this time. “I’d be sad to leave you, Eve, 2B, 9S, Popola, Devola, even A2. I would miss all of you.” She touched the thick glass partition separating the ship from the graveyard. “That’s all death is to me at least. It separates you from the ones you cherish most. If Eve died, wouldn’t you be sad? Because I’m sure he’d be devastated.” 

He chuckled. “Would he now..”

“Yes. Because he loves you.”

He didn’t need to say anything to let her know that he shared that sentiment for his younger brother. “And you? Who do you love?”

The smile on her lips turned demure. “I can’t answer that quite yet.” 

  
  


*******

9S saw a red dot appear on the screen, then another one. He shot up, demanding his pod to call 2B immediately. When the call connected, he got his answers out in a frantic manner. “2B, they’re in the city center! Where that giant hole opened up!”

_“Copy that.”_

*******

Eve helped Seven up, pulling her from the ladder. “Thanks,” she breathed, hanging onto both of his arms as he let her down gently. In front of them Adam stood perfectly still and she thought he was ruminating over something- until she saw what he was looking at. 

Two white-haired androids were approaching. 

“2B! A2!” Seven was happy to see them, running towards the two before Adam raised an arm to block her. 

“Seven, are you alright?” 2B asked. “Did they hurt you?”

“I’m fine-”

Eve interrupted her. “So, it was only a matter of time before you found us.”

“Let her go and we won’t have to fight,” 2B said coolly. 

A grin crossed Adam’s face. “Now, we both know that’s a lie. Don’t we, little android?”

“Seven,” 2B held her hand out. “Come here.” 

She moved forward to try and meet 2B, but hands clamped down on her shoulders and forced her to stand still. “No way,” Eve sneered. “She’s coming with us.” 

“If that’s how you want to do it,” A2 muttered as she slowly unsheathed her sword from her back. “Then by all means.”

“I’ll enjoy ripping you apart.” Eve’s tone caught Seven by surprise, having never heard him sound so sinister- not even when he addressed her. 

Both him and Adam’s stances widened slightly, steadying themselves across the gravel just as A2 and 2B did the same. Panic began to settle in upon seeing this. “Wait, you don’t have to fight-”

“The core of our programming as androids..” 2B pointed her sword at Adam, as white and pristine as her hair. “Is to protect our human masters. _At all costs._ ”

A2 disappeared from beside 2B, reappearing in front of Seven in an attempt to take her away from the machines. Eve caught on quickly meeting her headfirst. “Oh no you don’t!” His fist connected with the brunt of her sword and they both glared at each other in between the opening of their arms. 

2B rushed in, grabbing Seven by the scruff of her cloak and tossing her aside as gently as she could before going toe-to-toe with Adam. The older machine deflected the missiles sent by her pod and returned them to the sender. 2B erected a shield around her and Seven just in time to catch the missiles. The look in Adam’s eyes shifted slightly when he saw that he narrowly missed her, but the hostility returned when 2B sent her sword towards him. 

“Get somewhere safe!” 2B instructed her and she did as she was told, staying out the battle between machine and android. It was all she could do. To watch A2 slam her sword into Eve as he held her back with his bare fists while the hem of 2B’s skirt became singed with the beams of light that destroyed the ground underneath her. 

It made it all the more apparent to her that she was utterly useless in this new world. There was truly nothing she could do. 

The ground began shaking at the sheer power the four of them exuded and it made Seven look up just in time to see debris rolling off the shaken building and plummeting directly towards her. Before she could move, she felt someone pick her up and bring her to safety. Eve had his arm wrapped around her to lift by his side, but quickly let go when a flash of white and black attacked him with furious slashes. A2 came out from the blue, sending him backwards and picking up Seven by the crook of her arm. The android pushed her out of the way, cutting a boulder in two that was meant to hit her. 

“Come on, get up!” She urged. A flurry of discarded machines was hurled at A2 and the android was forced to fend them off with a sword. “Dammit..!”

“Get away!” Eve roared, sending more projectiles towards her. 

“Wait, Eve, A2- please stop!” No one listened to her. Her voice was snuffed out as easily as a candle and all she could do was watch them fight. Both of them cast nervous and quick glances her way to make sure no more objects would crush her frail body before going at each other once more. 

2B was fast, her sword becoming a whirlwind as Adam’s body disappeared in a cone of light and appeared to her left to send a kick to her head. In response, her one-handed sword was exchanged with the heavier counterpart and collided with the ground he stood on. 

“Don’t just stand there..!” A2 barked. “You need to leave- _now!”_

To enunciate her point, the ground below Seven’s feet began to give way and she rolled out of the way as more of the buildings above crashed below. She was lucky enough that this place served as a makeshift arena that was big enough to hold their destructive capabilities. Though this came at a price of the structural integrity that surrounded them. 

“Pod!” 2B squatted to the ground, pointing towards Adam’s direction as her pod released a large blast. Both swords made it into her hands as she blocked a strike with one and used another to slice up his arm. Turning on her heel, she spun around and stuck the sword into his chest, and to Seven’s surprise, red seeped out from where he was wounded. 

“Adam!” She called his name in utter fear. Fear for him. He backed away, holding his wound just as any other human would. A choked gasp forced her attention somewhere else and saw Eve strangling A2. A2 made a face of utter rage as her eyes began to change color, seeping with the color of pure, crimson red that drowned out the blue. 

An explosion of red and black fumes forced Eve to release her and Seven saw A2’s features became completely enveloped in the smoke-like vapors. Only the silhouette of her body remained visible, shrouded in shadow. Eve had to evade as A2’s offensive capabilities seemed to be increased tenfold. Each of her attacks, even barehanded, sent a tremor that Seven felt even at the distance she kept from them. Equally enraged, Eve’s eyes began to glow that same red as his tattoos changed form. They climbed up his arm, turning the whole of it pure black as he met A2’s fist with his own. 

“Damn machines..” A2 growled. “Just _die!_ ” 

2B and Adam were left in their relatively calm demeanor to witness their allies go berserk, completely hellbent on destroying each other. With more and more chaos piling on in their wake, 2B decided to interfere. “A2! Stop! You’ll bring the place down!” 

A2 and Eve clashed once more before they sent each other flying back. The black vapors disappeared and A2 returned to normal. She collapsed onto her knees and her face was twisted in silent agony as if her insides began to burn with the intensity of the sun. Eve was panting and catching his breath as he knelt by his brother who bled profusely from his stab wound. 

Unfortunately, it seemed as though both machines and androids would be in a deadlock, thus placing the human in even more danger if they continued like this. “A2.. Please take Seven and leave.” 

A2 looked up through the gaps in her hair. “Just what are you planning?” 

In response, 2B held up a black box in her palm. “I’m going to end this.”

“Hate to burst your bubble, but I won’t be able to move for a while-” A2 winced. “Especially after activating B-mode.”

2B turned to Seven. “Run, get away as far as you can. I’ll come find you!” 

Seven saw how exhausted both parties looked. “But-”

“For fuck’s sake,” A2 cursed loudly. “Just run!” 

And so she did. 

*******

There was only one place she felt like she could go. Sweat piled on in awkward groups with how heavy the sun beat on her back; at first she was tempted to take off her cloak in an attempt to cool herself down, but if she did that, she would easily burn alive in this dessert. What was once a paved and covered area became a desolate wasteland that replaced people with howling winds and abrasive sand.

The housing blocks that she once knew were void of any living thing besides the occasional machine that she hid from. A group of them had gathered in the playground she used to frequent, forcing her to find another way around. There was no way she could take shelter in direction to the sun, she had to find shade. Luckily, one can never truly forget their way home and she used what knowledge of the layout she had to find her former apartment complex. Her fingers ran over the wall, feeling how dry and choked with dust it was. When she last saw it, it was stained darker with rainwater and overgrown with ivy. 

The lobby of the apartment looked just like the outside with dunes scattered messily inside. A fleeting thought of the landlady who constantly sweeped here came to mind and she had a laugh when she realized the old woman would have a fit if she saw the way it was now. 

Climbing the stairs was no easy feat. What looked stable at first turned out to be a ruse as they groaned under her weight and collapsed. Most of her journey upstairs would be made in jumps and leaps that left her all the more exhausted. When at last she made it to her floor, she saw the door to her old home still intact. Turning the knob, she was surprised as she stepped into complete and cool darkness. Whatever light was present was given an odd, blue glow and barely anything inside was legible until her eyes finally adjusted. 

Her foot collided with something hard as she moved forward and she flinched as the resulting noise was almost deafening in the near silence. Waiting until her pupils got used to the lack of light, she saw that the object was long and cylindrical and metal. Picking it up, she inspected and almost discarded it until she saw something etched onto the upper half that gave her pause. 

It was engraved with the number ‘1’. 

Looking to her left, she saw a mannequin-shaped object lying slumped against the wall. Next to it were a series of other mannequins that were similar in shape and composition. She dropped the engraved tube besides the first one and went down the line. The first one was made completely of metal, like parts she had seen from an android. The second one had tufts of hair sticking out of the metal scalp. The third one had what looked like skin on it, except she saw that the skin was actually just colored steel. The fourth one had more realistic, fleshy looking bits on it, but those pieces were already falling off in rotten clumps. The fifth one had a complete face, though there was a dark red substance congealed underneath the nose. The sixth one looked the most complete, but something about it still didn’t look right as there was a heavy gash on its neck that dislocated the head entirely. 

Seven stopped in her tracks when she realized most of them were numbered. Her breath began to shake when her hand reached up to touch where her birthmark was. 

“Welcome home.” 

_No way_. She refused to turn in the direction of the voice. The voice that was undoubtedly her mother’s- but this time it sounded more metallic and hollow. She wanted to blame the heat of the desert to her hallucination just now, though she knew it was just an empty excuse. Slowly, she moved her head towards the kitchen area and choked on her breath when instead of her mother, she saw a machine. 

A small, stubby machine with gentle blue eyes. 

“You must have questions,” the machine said. 

“Are you-?” The disbelief was harsher on impact than any hit Eve or A2 could ever manage. 

“I am your creator. You may address me as both mother or father, the title does not matter.” The machine beckoned her to follow. “Come.” With no other choice, she did. They sat at a makeshift table made from scraps and situated in front of a wide array of screens. One of the screens displayed something floating in the midst of space, a large, white, circular structure, while the one next to it was pointed directly at the moon. “You’ve met your sisters, the one who came before you.” 

Her attention was ripped and brought towards the blue-eyed machine. “That can’t be right, I was- my mother was human. I’m human..!” Whatever conviction she had began to falter when the image of those lifeless mannequins were within her peripheral. “Right..?”

“Yes. You are human. But I am not.” The machine responded in a calm and steady tone. “I see you are shaken, but there is more truth I must tell you. I led one of the androids, YoRHa No. 9 Type S, to discover the truth.”

“What truth?”

“That you are the last human on Earth. That the humans all perished before my alien creators even arrived.” 

If the world could open up and swallow her whole, she would allow it. This all seemed like such a bad dream and unfortunately, there would be no one to wake her up. “But I remember the day they came, how is that possible?” 

The machine turned its head towards a reclined seat that was hooked up with various, streaming wires. “I put those memories inside you. I wanted you to see the destruction they caused this world.”

“None of this makes sense. Why do that?” she looked to the wired seat, to the screens, to her ‘sisters’. “Why do any of this?”

“Because this cannot continue. You were my hope to stop this endless and futile war between us machines and the androids. This unnecessary violence cannot go on any longer. That’s what you were- my wish. My seventh wish.” 


	9. IX

_A small machine with glowing blue eyes tugged along a satchel, traveling along under the burning sun. Little by little, the machine made its way across the desert and towards the ruined city. It narrowly avoided other machines as best it could during its journey. Even when it shared the same parts as them, they would still become hostile to this one as this machine no longer partook in their goals left to them by their alien masters._

_If machines could sweat, this one would be dripping in large droplets as it pushed its systems to their limit to carry this package to its destination. Soon the sun wasn’t as harsh and the ground turned from sand to weathered concrete to patches of grass. The machine stopped, dropping off the rope from around its torso and pulled the canvas open. Laying inside was the machine’s daughter, the seventh one in fact. This one came out perfect, unlike the others, and became the machine’s pride and joy._

_Unwrapping the canvas completely and tossing it over the edge into a canyon, the machine sat with its creation for a while. As the remaining habitats of this earth made noise to accompany them, the machine contemplated for a while as it stroked her hair. It waited and waited and waited, until the machine picked up on two lifeforms. With one last stroke as a goodbye, the machine hopped away, leaving the human laying in the grass._

_Peeking behind a corner, the machine saw two white-haired androids walking side-by-side, going the opposite direction of the human. Taking a rock, it threw it as hard as it could to attract their attention._

_Right as the shorter of the two androids turned around to see what made that noise. The machine made its escape._

**Just as a small machine hopped away into shelter not too far from them, 9S picked up a ping on his scanner on something he’d never seen nor identified before. From the aerial screen that was shown, the figure looked...humanoid. It gave off a heat signature and all signs of life seemed to be present; this sent his curiosity flying. The possibility of meeting a human got him excited, he had so many questions to ask them..!**

**But none other than androids or machines had ever set foot here for several millennia. There was no way a human could have suddenly appeared on Earth..**

**Is there?**

“So you just left me out in the open like that? You know they attacked me, right?” Seven muttered as her fingers tab over the healed scar on her chest. “At least it wasn’t too fatal.”

“Yes. I was aware of that risk.”

Her mouth pulled in a downturned angle. “And yet you put me there anyways??”

“I had no time to move you. I simply wanted to gain their attention.”

“Even after 2B nearly sliced me open?”

“The prologue was regrettable, yes, but here you are. The results are all that matters.”

She wanted to make a snide remark but getting a rise out of a life form that was so stoic didn’t seem to be too probable. So she held back. “What now? How do you expect me to end a war that’s been going for this long? That’s impossible.”

“I once believed that constructing a human was impossible. Yet here you are. I was made aware of a server on the moon and when I accessed it, the records I found were..surprising. Beyond the discovery that humans have long been extinct, there were bits of data on the human genome.” The machine gazed towards the line of mannequins. “You can see the fruits of my labor were long in the making. The human genome may be complex at a glance, but when broken down, it’s as simple as the chemical makeup of an apple.”

Hopping down from the seat, it passed by the mannequins. “Using the bases of adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine, I was able to create the few billion pairs required of the deoxyribonucleic strands of humans. Therefore, I was able to collect samples from others of the same family. Since the human genome was composed of such commonplace nucleotides- materials were not a problem. It was the actual construction that proved to be maddening. 

“At first I combined it with a model used by the YoRHa units to get a feel for what a human would and should look like. After all, the androids _were_ made in the image of their gods. Little by little I made progress until the human dolls I made gained consciousness, though you can see some failed while others simply died in the process. 

“The sixth one you see here was the most perfect one out of its predecessors. Unfortunately when I hooked it up with my simulated world, it’s ego shattered and to free itself, it scratched out the jugular in its neck. It died and I had to start anew.” The machine stopped and turned to her to assess her understanding. “You were the only one whose brain did not initially reject the information I was transferring. It was risky, but you turned out just how I wanted you to be.”

“Well,” her smile was wry, “lucky me. What was the point of the simulated world if you were just going to toss me into this one after?”

“I learned from my mistake with Six. Instead of implementing human knowledge and learning directly- risking a psychotic break in the process, I instead let you experience them in ‘real time’. The simulation put you through a relatively normal life as an average human would live. What I needed next was a traumatic event that would already plant the idea as to why the world would look in ruins for when you woke- to make the transition easier for you. Resulting in the ‘alien invasion’. If I hadn’t done these steps carefully, you too would have suffered insanity and descended into madness at the changing of the environment.” 

She was speechless. Her childhood friends, her schooling, her life and thoughts of a future- it was all faked. She had lived a ruse made of different sequences of coding; just to prepare her for this reality.

“Do you need a diagnostics run? Your Fe levels seem to be low.” The machine was staring intently and she felt like all of her bones and sinews were being displayed and categorized. Though she suspected that it already happened many times before. “Are you eating your vegetables?”

A small laugh escaped her and for a split second she felt like being scolded by her actual mother. “No. Adam and Eve don’t exactly know what proper nutrition is.” 

“One would think Adam’s knowledge would be omniscient due to his connection to the Network.” 

“I guess not all machines can use the Network like you.” 

The machine blinked. “I am not connected to the Network.” 

This caught her off guard. “Why? Wouldn’t that be bad if you died?”

“I severed my connection a long while ago and yes, all my conscious data would be lost upon the events of my death.” It hobbled over to the screens. On one of them, she saw multiple flight units descending on the large building in the sky. She soon realized that she was looking at YoRHa's Bunker. “If I were to perish, it would be a great loss for the preservation of humanity.”

“Then why don’t you store it somewhere?”

This gave the machine pause then it moved its head side to side. “No. I cannot risk it being corrupted.” Though the subject was dropped there, she couldn’t help but notice the feeling that more information was being withheld from her. “My Seventh girl, you have made leaps and bounds of developing relations with both machines and androids. I implore you to continue.” 

“If that’s how you want me to end their war, I got news for you-” her knuckles rapped across the rusted metal table, “-they’re not too keen on listening to me.”

“They will. Give it time.”

“There’s the chance of me dying again if it goes wrong.” 

“That would be unfortunate, and I would be forced to start anew to make Eight, but- I have faith in you.” 

Seven clicked her tongue, not too eager at the idea of merely being replaced after her inevitable demise. “And here I thought you loved me as one of your own.”

“Love is merely a mix of dopamine and norepinephrine to me. Compounds that induce a feeling of attraction towards another. The emotional weight of it is lost on me.” There was silence. “...But I have come to care for you. A great deal. I hope this is enough.” 

She merely bowed her head, wrapping her own arms around herself in an attempt to provide self-comfort.   
  


*******

2B looked everywhere. Searching every part of the machine factory, to the depths of the flooded city, to the nooks and crannies of the amusement park, and even the thicketed environment of the forest. There was only one place she hadn’t searched. In the midst of the deserted ruins, 2B soon stopped when she saw the familiar figure of her human. Seven emerged from the shade of a building, her eyes sunken and hollow. 

“2B…” she whispered and the android ran to her. 

“Are you alright?” 

She shook her head and her eyes adopted a glassy look as water formed at the corners. “2B…!” Throwing her arms around her, the android was initially taken aback until she too returned the gesture. Albeit slowly and carefully, 2B rested her hands around her and held her; feeling every tremor from her body as she let out anxiety-ridden gasps for air. 

“Why are you crying?”

She shook her head again. “Can we just go home, please? Anywhere but here.” 

Her voice was slightly muffled and 2B wasn’t sure of what to do except to hold her tighter. “Alright. Let’s go home. Can you walk?” Without waiting for a response, she assessed her feet and saw that they were torn up with various contusions and cuts. Whatever shoes she had were discarded within the devouring sands and left her without protection on her feet. Silently, she released Seven gently and began to undo the visor around her eyes to wrap around her eyes instead. 

“Wear this,” she whispered and made sure the knot was secure around her head. “Can you see?”

“No..?” 

“Good.” 2B picked up Seven in her arms and got up to find a way that avoided as many machines as she could. 

Seven leaned her head against 2B’s shoulder, feeling calmer already in her presence. “What happened to Adam and Eve?”

2B didn’t answer for a moment and she feared the worst. “They escaped.” The sigh of relief she wanted to let out was held in her throat so 2B couldn’t see it. 

The purpose of the new blindfold over Seven’s face was two-fold. To protect her sensitive retinas against the harsh rays of the sun and the other- 

They crossed the threshold towards the ruined city. 

-was to avoid having her look at the aftermath of their battle.

Pod had silently notified her about the symptoms and possible triggers of an anxiety attack. Visual or auditory triggers can vary between person-to-person, but she was concerned mainly with what her human would be upset with. The least she could do was take away any visuals that might impede with her normal cognitive functions. 

2B made sure not to touch any rubble as she crossed the cracked roads. The gaping hole in the center of the city was made larger and thus forcing her to cross beams with careful precision as she carried something very precious. They passed the engels who sat with only his torso sticking out of the ground, his glowing eyes blinking curiously at the package in 2B’s arms. When they got back to the Resistance camp, all the androids stood up to receive the both of them. Though 2B merely ignored them and went inside the room to lay Seven down on the bed. 

Sitting by her side, she reached around her head to untie the visor and saw her blink her eyes to adjust. 

“You’re in the Resistance camp,” 2B murmured and pulled the blanket over her. “It’s going to be okay. Rest now.” 

Seven’s body, whether she wanted to or not, agreed and felt instantly drowsy. Pulling the sheets over her shoulders, she watched 2B watch her and suddenly realized that this was the first time she saw the android’s eyes. 

“2B,” she said, looking intently into those light blue irises. “Your eyes are so beautiful.” 

If the android could blush, she would. Instead, an intense feeling washed over her and made the sensory endings on her cheeks warmer than usual. An overwhelming desire to protect her overrode any rational order in her mind and she placed a hand over her chest. “I swear I’ll make sure you return to the colony on the moon. I promise. You’ll be back with the other humans soon.”

Seven’s smile faltered. 

*******

9S was surprised when he arrived at the Resistance camp to find not one white-haired android waiting for him, but two. He stopped, retrieving his sword and pointing it at the second. “What are you doing here?!”

“9S, stand down,” 2B instructed. 

“But she’s-”

“I know.” 2B remained poised, with no sense of hostility raised towards A2 so 9S reluctantly sheathed his blade. 

“So. This is the other partner you mentioned earlier.” He sounded almost disappointed, as if he was being replaced. 

“If she wasn’t around, I would’ve been routed by Adam and Eve.” 

“I could’ve helped,” 9S protested. 

“You were out of commission. It’s in the past now, let’s forget about it.” 2B turned her attention to A2. “How is your OS?”

“Better,” she muttered.

Pod 042 hovered in the air beside her. “The use of B-mode to increase nuclear fusion output carries unacceptable levels of risk. Any offensive boost is offset by lowered defense and increased maintenance costs. The feature was removed from newer models for this reason.”

A2’s eyes narrowed. “And blowing myself up is?” She glared at 2B next. “Was that really your grand plan? To use yourself to blast them away?”

9S’ was shocked. “You were going to use your black box?”

“It was only to provide you and Seven an escape from the area. My body would have easily been replaced.”

“You still don’t know what could’ve happened,” said 9S. “That was really risky, 2B.”

“At least Seven is alright. She’s better off with the other humans than on this hell,” A2 added. 

At that, 9S immediately looked down and the other two took notice. 

“What’s wrong?” 2B asked him. 

There was only pure conflict where sensible thoughts should be. “It’s nothing.” _Sorry, 2B._

“You’ll keep your word then,” A2 said, ignoring his reaction. “You’ll talk to Command about letting me off the blacklist. If it’s all the same to you, I rather not get hunted down till the rest of my days.” When 9S appeared bothered by this, she challenged him next with her glare. “The human is safe and the rest is up to you. This isn’t my problem anymore.” A2 got up, flexing her arm to make sure it was fully functional before picking up her sword.

“You’re not even gonna say goodbye to Seven?” 9S inquired.

“Won’t be necessary,” A2 muttered. “And besides.. I told you two that this isn’t my problem anymore.” She set her sights on 2B, “You better keep your end of the bargain, or you’ll be the first I come after.” Taking her weapons and another set of recoveries, the rogue android left the camp. 

*******

To further protect Seven, a barrier was placed around the perimeter of the Resistance camp so that stray machines wouldn’t be able to get through. They allowed the barrier to be pushed out a little further as Seven wanted to pick flowers along the stream and did so without supervision. 

She knelt down on the water-logged grassy banks and started picking up every single flower she found. Only leaving some behind as she didn’t want this area to be completely barren. She wanted to make pressed flowers to preserve and honestly, she wanted this to provide a modicum of normalcy within her. There was so much that was revealed to her that a mindless act such as this was surely appreciated. 

There came a subtle thud against the barrier and she froze, thinking it was a machine trying to get in. When she looked up, she indeed saw a machine- but it wasn’t of the average build. 

“Eve!” Her whisper was harsh and frantic and she glanced behind her to make sure no one else heard. Running over to meet him at the barrier, she was relieved to see him alive and well. “You’re okay! Where’s Adam?”

Eve’s expression turned to pain. “He’s fine. Those androids hurt him bad, but we both recovered.” 

“What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” He put his hand up against the barrier. “I’m here to take you back.” 

“Eve..”

“Come with me. You, me, and Adam- we’ll go somewhere far away. Far away from this place where the androids won’t find us.” Now his expression was desperate, almost like a child who was losing something of his. The hand he placed against the barrier pressed harder. “Please.”

She placed her hand near his. Though their hands were so close together, only a thin partition separated them from touching completely.

“I..” she hesitated when she saw the desperation in his eyes grow. “I can’t. You know they won’t let me go so easily.”

“Then I’ll kill them,” his voice was low. “I’ll kill them all and we can be together.”

She panicked. “I don’t want you to do that either. I don’t want either of you to fight anymore.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I want this war to end. I don’t want anyone getting hurt anymore.” Her fingers faltered and Eve tried to hold them up but found that he couldn’t as the barrier stopped him from getting any closer. “Eve, tell Adam-“

“Seven??” Came Devola’s voice from afar. “We’re heading out- where are you?”

She cursed and turned back to Eve. “Go. You can’t be seen here!”

“Will I see you again?”

Nodding, she smiled. “Of course. Now go!”

Hesitating, Eve took a few steps back and then retreated into the brush just as Devola emerged from the camp. 

*******

Popola held Seven’s hand, both of them traversing the slippery slopes of the flooded city with great care. “This way,” the android led her up the slanted edge of a half-sunken building. “There’s no machines around, it should be safe. YoRHa made sure all hostile machines weren’t within a few kilometers of us.”

She yelped when she almost slipped into the water. “There’s no machines, but this place is still hazardous.”

“This should be as good a spot as any,” Devola cast a fishing line into the water. “This is the closest place we’ll get a decent sized catch.”

“Fish is packed with nutrients,” Popola added with a knowing smile. “I researched what would be most nutritious for humans and fish was one of them.”

“You said you were feeling a bit dizzy when you stood up right? Old records posited that you would have an iron deficiency.” Devola looked back, her gaze almost apologetic. “It’s our fault we can’t take care of you better.” 

“We also wanted to thank you for the beautiful ribbons you made us,” Popola touched hers and smiled. “It’s wrong to let it go unrewarded.” 

“It’s nothing really,” she insisted. “It was a gift. A thank you for taking care of me after 2B..y’know.” 

“Still.” Popola leaned in close, leaving a kiss on her cheek that surprised her. Even after the android backed away, she still felt the softness of her lips against her skin. “We want you to know we care a lot about you.” 

She grinned, feeling the spot where she was kissed. “I care about you two as well. Thank you.”

“Hey if you two are done, mind helping me reel this one in?” Devola grunted, pulling at her line. “This one better be big enough for a human stomach!” 

Popola rushed towards her sister and the both of them tugged the fish towards the bank. Seven meant to help them but stopped in her tracks when the hairs on the back her neck began to stand up. The unmistakable feeling of being watched paralyzed her and she whipped around, searching each darkened window to see pinpoint where the unease originated from. 

Devola’s eyebrow raised up as she landed the fish. “What’s wrong?”

Seven shook her head, massaging her closed eyes before squinting up towards the buildings again. “Nothing.. Just thought I saw something.”

“What did you see?”

“Some little girl in a red dress.” 


	10. X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a tumultuous week we all had.

“2B to Command. Come in.”

_ “This is the Commander. What is it 2B?” _

“If it’s alright with you, Commander, I would like this message to be privatized.” Commander White seemed uneasy but agreed to do so and their call became encrypted. “This is about the rogue android, A2.” 

_ “Did you come into contact with her again?” _

“I did.”

_ “Did you destroy her?” _

“..I did not.” 

The Commander appeared disappointed, crossing her arms and folding her brows together.  _ “I’ve informed you that this individual was dangerous, how come you didn’t take the initiative?” _

“Because she helped me save Seven.”

_ “..What?!” _

“Ex-YoRHa member Attacker No. 2 helped battle the machine lifeforms Adam and Eve. If it wasn’t for her help, Seven would still be with them and I would be out of commission.” 2B didn’t wait for a response. If she was to make a controversial statement, she might as well do it now while the commander was still shocked. “I would like to request that YoRHa members stop hunting her down in exchange for the invaluable assistance she provided.” 

Commander White gave a hard stare that made even 2B nervous. _"I_.. _I_ _ will consider it. But this isn’t a guarantee. I would be more willing if she gave us her aid once more to protect Seven, is this possible?” _

“No. She’s fulfilled her end of the bargain, there was no need for her to stay with us longer.”

_ “Regrettable.”  _ The commander sighed.  _ “I’m deploying all possible battle units to your location at the Resistance camp. All YoRHa agents are to report to the human’s location immediately.”  _

“What? Commander, isn’t that a bit much?”

_ “No questions, soldier. I require every YoRHa member to be at her side at all times.” _

“Won’t the rocket to the moon launch soon? That amount of security won’t be necessary if she’s returning to the human colony.” Instead of a response, the commander was silent and appeared almost... Apologetic. “Commander. Is there something I should be aware of?”

Silence. After a few seconds, the connection began to fizz out and the audio became corrupted, but only for a split moment before returning back to normal. 

“..Commander?”

_ “I said no more questions-------. Command out.”  _ The connection closed and left 2B to her thoughts. Which came in the form of a stampede. 

*******

The Resistance camp was usually filled with people sure- but never  _ this _ many. Seven was left feeling slightly overwhelmed with all of the androids that came in and out of the camp on switching shifts. All of them beautiful and slender, with power she couldn’t fathom or hope to imitate stored in their delicate hands and bodies. She must’ve been staring a while because 2B caught this. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” Seven muttered, still in awe. “Androids are just all so pretty.” She turned to 2B with a sheepish grin, “Of course I still think you’re the prettiest, 2B.” 

Not one to receive compliments often, a subtle smile appeared on the android’s lips but ironed back out into a stoic line. “What of Devola and Popola?”

“Don’t get me wrong, they’re pretty too. Very pretty. Same for A2.” She balanced her head in her hands. “I wish I came out better looking I guess..”

“‘Came out’?”

She regretted her choice of words. “I mean, genetics, you know? How us humans inherit the looks of their parents?” Her laugh was nervous and forced- perhaps  _ too _ obligatory that it raised suspicion. 

“For what it’s worth,” 2B said slowly. “I think you’re pleasing to look at.”

A snort exited her nose. “Is that your version of a compliment?”

“I’m trying.”

“I know.” 

2B’s eyes raked over her. “Your cortisol levels seem higher than normal again. What’s causing it?” 

She gestured to the abundance of androids. “Never seen this many people in one place, that’s all. It kinda makes me nervous.” 

“What can I do?”

“Don’t leave me alone here.” Just as she said that, 9S approached them with a cautious smile and she knew what she requested would have to be renegotiated. “Going on patrol again?” Their so-called patrols were just excessive at this point. With the amount of people they had here- she wondered if that was even necessary. This would make it their second patrol within two hours.

“Yep. Uhhh, 2B, mind going on ahead? I’ll catch up after I run some diagnostics.”

“Roger that.” 2B squeezed the tip of Seven’s shoulder as a silent apology before leaving the camp. 

For anyone running a diagnostics check, they would have to go to the grouped up cots sitting underneath a canvased sheet in the back. But instead of heading that way, 9S remained where he stood even after 2B was no longer in sight. This was what made her suspect something was seriously wrong. For the time she had known him, she had never seen him so uptight before; this android in particular always had a smile on his face and was rather upbeat. 

“Is there something wrong, Nines?”

9S’ throat moved before his lips hung open, pausing to rethink his words before promptly shutting his mouth again. He shook his head and forced an awkward smile. “Nothing. Um. If you need anything from me you let me know, okay?”

“9S, you’re acting a bit..” She stopped and remembered something her creator had told her. That an android by the designation of No. 9 Type S was told the truth. So the look they shared was that of two individuals who were aware of a very dark, dark secret. One that was heavy enough to feel like the world rested on their shoulders. Reaching forward, she grabbed his hand. “I know.”

He seemed to relax and most importantly, he seemed to understand. “If you need anything,” he repeated with a tone laden with dread, “I’m here for you.” Finally, he left and she saw his posture pick up and the smile return to his face. Whether it was fabricated or legitimate this time, she did not know. 

*******

A2 sat on top of a building with her sword sitting across her lap. Her mind was elsewhere and didn’t notice two YoRHa members walking below her with a casual stride. Out of instinct she tensed up until she saw them walk past her location and continue on. Tracking their steps, she saw they came from the Resistance camp and curiosity overtook her senses, tempting her to investigate.

Given the bird’s eye view of the place to which she ascended, she saw that the Resistance camp was  _ flooded _ with soldiers from YoRHa's ranks. Many were stationed at the front, some resting on the buildings for look out; in fact, it seemed that every direction worth viewing from a tactical standpoint had at least a set of three eyes on it. There was only one reason for this much security. 

Through the cracked buildings she caught a glimpse of the human. A cloak was wrapped around her shoulders and she was helping move boxes around to try and make herself useful. Unfortunately, her workload was half of what a normal android could deal out so the actual act was more obligatory than practical. A2 clutched the handle of her sword when she saw that one of the androids spotted her from a rooftop viewpoint, though she soon relaxed when that same android looked away. The YoRHa soldier didn't even care that A2 was here. 

“Huh..”  _ So 2B had kept her side of the argument _ . From the shadows, she saw Seven emerge and wipe the sweat off her forehead. Somehow, she seemed to sense her presence and slowly, the human met eyes with the android. Even from where she was standing, there was a wide smile on her face as she waved. A2 only stared back, watching how enthusiastic she seemed waving at her. Steadily, she raised her arm and acknowledged her presence. On the arm which she used to wave, there was a black ribbon tied around it. 

*******

2B picked up on something from afar. A subtle, ringing noise that gradually became louder and more apparent as if a drone had swooped in from the sky. But one look above told her that this theory was inaccurate. There was nothing there, just the sole sound that pierced the air and made her wince. 

“Guh..” 

“2B?” 9S turned around and saw her hunched over, one hand to her ear. “What’s wrong? Should we go back to the camp?”

“It’s nothing,” 2B stood back up, trying to retain her level-headedness. “Just some weird interference.”

“Interference, huh?” There was nothing out here that could possibly interfere with their network. A long distance signal sent from the Bunker would show up on their pod without any sort of strange reactions from the recipient.. Unless. “2B- will you let me run a scan on you?”

“That won’t be necessary-”

“Please.” The insistence in 9S’ voice was enough to convince 2B to yield to his request, so she sat down on a weathered pillar. She took the blindfold off her eyes and for a split second, 9S saw a red embed themselves within the clear blue of her irises. This lasted for a brief moment as he saw the red become eradicated and replaced with a much lighter blue before it became evanescent and sank in her eyes. “Uhh.. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” 2B seemed unaffected behavior wise and so 9S eased up- but only a little. Perhaps it was the glare that caused such an anomaly in his vision. 

“Okay, I’ll run some diagnostics. Just relax.” A diagnostic run like this on the field was odd for sure, but did he have a choice? That red in her eyes bothered him, even if it was just a trick of the light. As he entered her mind, he saw that everything seemed normal. Auditory input, visuals, battle systems, internal core at ideal temp.. It all seemed fine. He was about to exit out of her system before he heard it- a subtle _ping_ that caught his attention. That definitely wasn't customary. If it was from the Bunker then it would've gone through the 'front door' of the system. Instead, whatever this sound was- it seemed to hop over the present firewall that was up without any permission. 

9S was nothing if not careful. So he severed her connection to the Bunker along with his for now and reported the uninvited guest. 

*******

  
Seven set the boxes up, taking extra care not to have them topple over as she scooted it in with her shoulder. There was really nothing else for her to do except organize the warehouse. It wasn't the most glamorous job, but it allowed her silence since the main hub of the camp had become too crowded for her. It was a miracle alone that the androids let her in here by herself since a lot of them insisted staying by her side for extra precaution- but the extra precaution just didn't seem necessary. The sigh she exuded echoed back to her in the nearly empty warehouse and made her realize how ridiculous she sounded. Along with that, she also realized how isolated she was from the rest of the camp in this area, a small trifle that she was grateful for nonetheless as it granted her peace. 

Though soon she felt the presence of another. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the figure of small girl in red and immediately turned her head. Her senses were correct as there were two little girls that stared up at her; standing in a spot she previously thought unoccupied. 

“Do you need something?"

No answer. It was only her in this spot of the camp, or that's what she thought at least. The both of them wore knee-length dresses with a dark vermillion shade and their hair was long and black, held back by a red hairband that matched their clothes; their faces were that of a normal human with features to match and can almost be classified as ‘cute’. They looked normal, for the most part. But something about them was off that she couldn’t quite pinpoint until she stared at them for a little while longer and they stared back. That's when it hit her. 

It was their eyes. 

Blank and unfeeling. Like staring into the reflection of a dulled piece of metal, only to see the lack of luminescence within your own and fearing that you too might be teetering on death’s door. 

“Hey..” She tried hiding the stutter in her voice. Whoever they were, they weren't normal as everything from her sympathetic nervous system urged her to leave. “What’s your names?”

Again there was no answer. The two girls merely stared at her, observing. Waiting.

“..Are you an android?” _Or a machine?_ Only the echo of her voice became the opposing sound in this place and this only set off her unease even more. She wasn’t sure of what to do and she didn’t think that asking them to stop staring would be a good idea either. Finally, a sound set off in the distance and she was relieved to have an excuse to get away. Turning her head to check for the direction of the noise, she glanced back at the two girls and stepped back when she saw they were gone. Vanishing without so much as an imprint on the dirt to let the world know they were there. 

Nothing was left in evidence of their wake, not even footprints where they stood. 

Whoever they were, they certainly didn’t seem like androids nor machines. More like ghosts who were merely curious about this earth's inhabitants. 

Not wasting another minute here alone, she rushed towards the sound she heard earlier. The sound was of something falling down though now there were raised voices spat in anger sprinkled in. Behind a corner and in a darkened alleyway where shadows overtook the intense sunlight, she saw a head of red hair stuck in the middle of other Resistance members. 

“Don’t touch me,” Devola bared her teeth while slapping away a hand. “The hell do you guys want?” 

“You watching over that little human has us all feeling nervous. We honestly don’t think you’re the right android for the job.” One of them tried to shove her back but Devola swatted them away, making them grab a handful of her hair. “Don’t try it, bitch!” 

“It’s my job to take care of Seven, no one else can do it!” Devola’s voice shook with anger. “So. Back. Off!” 

“What are you gonna do about it?” The android shoved her head back, leaving her hair a tousled mess. “You can’t even defend yourself on the missions we give you!” 

“Yeah,” another laughed. “If you can’t keep with the status quo, you should take your sister and leave. We don’t have use for weak androids like you.” 

“Hey!” Seven’s voice was louder due to the acoustics provided by the narrow alley and despite her strong opposition, her knees felt as if they might collapse. Surrounding Devola was four males and one female android. They outnumbered both her and Devola greatly and could no doubt take them both down with comedic ease. But if no one else could stand up for her friend, she would. “Leave her alone! You don’t get to decide who’s worthy of taking care of me, so back off!” 

The androids gave each other a wary glance before the one who grabbed Devola spoke up. “You would still want her even if she was the one responsible for the way this world is now?” 

This made her knit her brows together. “..What?” 

“You heard me. Her model type was the reason why this world looks the way it does now.”

“That isn’t true-!” Devola protested but was immediately backhanded by the female android, the harsh sound echoing off the worn brick. 

“Shut the hell up!” the android yelled at her. “Why you and your sister didn’t already die out, we don’t know. But it would sure as hell be a lot better if you two hurried it up and rotted where none of us can see you.” With one last scathing glare, the androids left Devola alone and gave Seven a wide berth as they scattered. 

Devola picked herself up, dusting off her tunic as Seven rushed to her aid. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice shook, filled with the grief of someone that tried to hold everything together, but effectively failing. “It’s just-” she paused to rub the dirt off her cheek. “It’s nothing. Let’s just go.” 

Looping her arm around Devola’s, she led her to where the sun could see them and sat her on a wooden crate. “We should tell Anemone. They might try this again. How long has this been going on?”

“Since my sister and I were created.” Devola shook her head, a hollow sound to her plea. “It’s pointless. It wouldn’t be much use anyway, besides..we deserve this scorn.”

“..What? No one deserves to be treated like this. Especially you. You’re one of the most caring people I know!”

Devola shook her head again. “Those androids were right. It’s our fault the world looks like this now.” Her green eyes glanced up and Seven could see pain in them. True, gut-wrenching pain. The type that only comes from someone who carried guilt for so long that it manifested without fail in their very eyes and trembled in their voice when they tried to pray to whatever god would listen. It was a weight that tore her down for so long that she wanted someone, anyone, to share her pain, to hear her story- so Devola told her. She told her of how the models of Devola and Popola were considered the bringers of their destruction worldwide. Of whispers of a special project that ended in demise at the hands of a previous set of twin models that shared their name and appearance. Of how every android had shunned them because of these allegations. Of how guilt was constantly churning within even if the origin of it wasn't clear to them. 

“That doesn’t make sense.  _ You _ two weren’t even responsible for whatever project the originals were in charge of!” Seven exclaimed. 

“That doesn’t matter. All that matters now is that we share their faces. The world was supposed to be different, but due to their-  _ our _ sin, we have to atone.”’ She looked like she wanted to cry, but couldn’t seem to push the tears out. “But I can’t even remember what I’m supposed to be sorry for..!” 

“Devola,” she took her hand and clasped it tight. “Whatever anyone says, you both aren’t at fault. You two are the best caretakers I could ever ask for.” With what courage she had, she leaned forward and kissed her cheek where the android was slapped previously. The blooming sensation of something given with love filled Devola’s chest and the android let out a small gasp.

“Your ribbon..” Seven took the crumpled mass of cloth in her hand as she backed away, the direct result of being handled with a careless nature- as those androids had earlier when they grabbed a fistful of her red hair. “They ruined it. Damn.”

Devola covered the ribbon in her palm and intertwined her fingers with hers. “I’m sorry. I ruined your gift.”

“It’s okay, it’s just a ribbon. I can just make another one. I’m just happy you’re safe.” She lifted Devola’s chin with a finger. “Whatever your models did in the past doesn’t matter now. What matters now is that you’re doing the best you can in the present.” 

“If you’re the one saying it” she sniffed, “it almost makes me think that it’s true.” She came closer, bringing her forehead to press against hers. “You make me feel so relieved.” There was genuine joy in her voice, mixed with the trembling of melancholy from her perpetual state of guilt. “Maybe I am doing something right- if a human like you cares about me so much.” 

“Don’t be silly. You’re doing everything right.” Seven’s thumb stroked her cheek again and felt the soft brush of red hair against her hand as she moved. 

Devola cradled the hand against her cheek and leaned into it. Closing her eyes, she relaxed. “Thank you.” 

*******

In the Bunker, the operators kept close surveillance on those they sent to the Resistance camp. Their numbers within were reaching the double digits and never decreased as a large task force was crucial. Defending the camp against any type of machine attack was their utmost priority right now. This also meant that most of the force left the Bunker undefended save for a handful of B-types. Operator 21O blinked, resting her eyes for a brief moment from the harsh glare of the screen.

_ “Uh, operator..?”  _ Came 9S’ voice.  _ “Are you alright?” _

“Yes,” 21O breathed, composing herself. “I’ll submit your report to the commander. Confirm that your data has been sent.”

_ “Yeah, yeah.” _

“One affirmation will suffice.”

_ “Okay! Geez.. I sent over the data. Thanks, operator. 9S out.” _

When the screen closed, 21O closed her eyes again and her head sank. Beside her, another operator stopped what they were doing and glanced over. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” 21O responded even though her head felt like it was heating up. 

“Maybe you should go lie down. We can have someone else take over for you.”

“Yes, I’ll go do that.” 21O left her station and went to exit the command room. As soon as the cool air of the hallway greeted her and the dim glow of starlight replaced the blue light of a computer screen- she relaxed. Even still, her eyes remained half shut as she traversed down the hall and into her room where she was grateful for the silence. 

Laying down, she turned her body towards the metallic reflection of the wall where she saw the subtle reflection of her face. Staring at it, she saw a flash of red in her eyes before she closed them and went to sleep. 


End file.
